PGAV Destinations’ sixth installment of Voice of the Visitor 2022, conducted annually in partnership with H2R Market Research, touches on an uncomfortable truth—society is working to rectify a long heritage of systemic racism. And while we are making strides in the right direction, more progress is needed to achieve full equity and inclusion.

To gain further insight into how this affects the attraction industry today, VOV 2022 expanded to focus on visitors’ perceptions and experiences with diversity by collecting an additional sample of 400 people that self-identify as any race other than non-Hispanic white (referred to as people of color).

• Those identifying as people of color made up 33% of attraction visitors in 2021—a new VOV record. When compared to those identifying as non-Hispanic white, people of color visited more attractions in 2021 (+6%) and were more likely to be first-time visitors (+16%). Additionally, 72% said they plan to visit even more attractions in 2022.
• Work is definitely needed in the industry, with the pronounced and growing gap in satisfaction first on the list to address. Overall guest satisfaction among people of color sits at 4.07 out of 5.00, while non-Hispanic white reported a score of 4.49 out of 5.00. Among people of color, respondents identifying as Hispanic reported one of the lowest satisfaction scores, despite visiting the most attractions and spending the most money during those visited compared to other ethnicities.
• When asked why they thought people of color tend to experience lower levels of satisfaction when visiting attractions, “Unfriendly treatment”, “do not have diverse staff or attendants”, “we’re treated differently” and “still feel segregated were among the top responses given by people of color.

Be sure to check out the full article here to read about even more findings.

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Voice of the Visitor, a partnership between PGAV Destinations and H2R Market Research, is the most comprehensive U.S. report on guests’ collective opinions, attitudes and expectations—directly generated from guest feedback. (PGAV Destinations, 02.23.22)

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