As work is increasingly making inroads into leisure time, many business travelers are finding ways to turn that equation around — combining their travel for work with time for cultural and historical sightseeing.
“Cultural tourism can be an extension of business, it’s not just fluff,” said Patricia Martin, a marketing consultant and author of “Ren Gen: Renaissance Generation”.
“Today, a person’s knowledge is the new currency, and travel and cultural experiences are two of the most enlightening things they can do, enabling them to bring new information and insights into the workplace.”
Her book describes the rise of what she calls the “cultural consumer,” who joins book clubs, attends concerts and shows a renewed enthusiasm for learning, largely fueled by the Internet and a convergence of business with the arts, education and entertainment.
The majority of adult American travelers (81 percent) have included a cultural or history-related activity while traveling, according to a 2007 report by the Travel Industry Association, while 62 percent regard learning about other cultures as important when they travel.
Almost one in four of all trips in the United States in 2005 included a cultural or historical activity, the survey also found, and those travelers spent considerably more per trip on average, and stayed longer, than those who did not.
At home, a typical American adult attends an average of 1.9 cultural events a month, and for college graduates and adults earning at least $75,000 a year, the number is slightly higher: an average of 2.1 and 2.2 events a month, a survey by the Wallace Foundation found in 2004.
Photo by MSDesigns.
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