1. CUSTOMER RELATIONS IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
6.02 Recognize the importance of addressing the individual traveler’s needs.

2. Leisure/pleasure travelers
Characteristics
Leisure travel is not considered until basic needs are met.
Paid for with discretionary income
Most U.S. travelers choose destinations within the U.S.
Most travel by car (especially families)
Price sensitive
Seasonal in nature

3. Leisure/pleasure travelers
Preferences
Travel bargains
Lodging near attractions
Hotel amenities
Basic cable television
Iron and ironing board
In-room coffee maker
Premium television channels
Pay-per-view television
USA Today
Dataports
Video games

4. Needs of families Vacation packages which offer something for children
Recreational facilities for children
Accommodations that allow pets
Family plans in which children under a specified age may stay in the same room as parents at no charge
Discounted airfares for children

5. Needs of single travelers
Accommodations specifically oriented to adults
Tours and cruises arranged exclusively for singles

6. The Baby Boomers Characteristics People born between 1946 and 1964
Account for approximately 30 percent of today’s population
Earn more than half of all personal income in the nation
Generate more travel than any other age group in the US
Forty-four percent have an annual income of over $75,000

7. The Baby Boomers Characteristics (cont.)
Spend more on trips than any other age group
Most likely group to include travel for business or convention purposes (24%) and air transportation (22%)
Thirty-one percent of trips include at least one child
Consider travel a necessity, not a luxury
See themselves as forever young
Want to have fun
Have little patience
Have never known real poverty

8. The Baby Boomers Characteristics (cont.)
The Caribbean is their number one international travel destination.
Technologically savvy
More inclined to use the internet to make travel arrangements
Over half own a cell phone
Very accepting of new technology

9. The Baby Boomers
Needs
Active relaxation, such as bicycling, hiking, fishing, camping, shopping
Travel designed to fit their individual needs
Less structured travel
Locations that provide all the comforts of home
Luxury

10. Senior Market (age 55+) Characteristics
Have more disposable income than members of any other group
Have more time to travel
Can travel any time of the year
Have the flexibility to take advantage of travel specials
During the 1990s, travel by seniors grew by 50 percent
Many are single because their generation did not stress marriage or because many have become divorced.

11. Senior Market (age 55+) Needs
Experiences that combine education and adventure
High-quality facilities and service for their money
Vacations that include healthy food, exercise, and outdoor adventures
Travel which will include their children and grandchildren
Travel to meet other single people and to fulfill social needs
Escorted tours

12. Business/commercial travelers
Characteristics
Account for approximately half of all travel in the US
Travel is heavy on weekdays and light on weekends.
Business travelers tend to be health and exercise conscious.
Not seasonal in nature
Inelastic/inflexible in nature

13. Business/commercial travelers
Preferences
Efficiency, speed, and comfort
State-of-the-art health spas and recreational facilities
May require lodging for extended periods of time
Quick, reliable service due to tight schedules
Quiet facilities in which to work and relax

14. Business/commercial travelers
Preferences (cont.)
Business class: Seats located between coach and first class on an airline which targets business travelers and their need for comfort, quiet, and special attention
Hotel rooms wired for the latest technology
Two telephone lines
Dataports
Voice mail
Well-lit work area

15. Women travelers Characteristics
Make up almost half of the business travel market
Demand the same high level of service, security, respect, and recognition given to male travelers

16. Women travelers Needs Hotel security
Hotels located near meeting location
Hotel amenities
Room service
Hair dryers
Separate vanities
Make-up mirrors
Airport shuttles
In-room checkout
Valet parking

17. Disabled Market As many as one in five Americans have a disability.
Mobility allows for travel opportunities for more than 50 million disabled individuals.
Accessibility of destinations is essential.

18. Disabled Market Physical disabilities
Visually impaired: Individual has loss of sight, which may range from impairment correctable with glasses to blindness.
Hearing impaired: Individual has a hearing loss that can range from mild to profound.
Manually impaired: Individual has little or no use of one or both hands.
Mobility impaired: Individual has difficulty moving about.

19. Disabled Market Mental disabilities
Individual has impaired mental abilities. These disabilities may be less noticeable.

20. Disabled Market
Needs
Travel agents who have an awareness of the resources available to the disabled traveler
Airports and planes that are wheelchair accessible
Telephones, water fountains, and other fixtures located at a level accessible to those in wheelchairs
Priority seating in a theater
Boarding assistance at airports
Information/signs printed in Braille
Visual/audible alarms

21. Disabled Market Needs (cont.) Interpreters for the deaf
Accessible hotels and public buildings
Ramps
Wide doorways
Parking
Restrooms
Elevators
Entrances

22. Disabled Market Resources for the disabled traveler
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law requiring that people with disabilities be treated fairly and that public buildings be accessible.
Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped (SATH) is a national organization that works to persuade places to conform to the requirements of the ADA and to have public organizations like state tourism boards put accessibility information in their publications.

23. Disabled Market Resources for the disabled traveler (cont.)
ACCESS North Carolina, a publication from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, provides accessibility information on North Carolina destinations.