By Gabrielle Diepenbrock, Account Coordinator/Social Media Manager

The internet has given a wealth of information to today’s consumer. And people do take the time to research. They want to make the best decision with the time and money they have. Cultural travelers are no exception.

Cultural travelers are looking for destinations that will provide them with rich and stimulating experiences that are worth their time and money. And destinations should be looking to attract these cultural travelers. Based on a White Paper on Cultural Heritage Travel, cultural travelers tend to stay an average of 1.8 days longer at a destination and spend 40% more than the average tourist.

So how do destinations communicate to cultural travelers with an appealing message?

Social media. According to Tourist Link, $102.9 billion of domestic tourism revenue in the U.S. is generated by social media! Travelers are looking at reviews (43%), videos (31%), and blogs (24%) as they plan future trips. And they are looking to share their travel experiences on these platforms – inspiring friends and family to venture to the destination they went to.

Social media is an imperative opportunity that destinations need to invest in. It can be a great tool that allows an attraction to interact with customers, increase brand awareness, and share/gather earned media as people talk and review their time spent.

Below/above are some additional statistics on how the Cultural Traveler uses Social Media to research, plan, and share their travel plans.