Culture Trip study reveals mindsets driving deeper travel exploration

The Beyond Borders: The Evolution of Culture involved 10,500 respondents and in-depth interviews with 150 consumers in the UK and US

Four distinct cultural mindsets of travellers have been identified in new consumer research from travel media start-up Culture Trip.

A new report produced by the London-based company is based on a survey of 10,500 respondents and in-depth interviews with 150 consumers in the UK and US.

Culture Trip researched people’s cultural curiosity, as shaped by their cultural, social and personal contexts.

The Beyond Borders: The Evolution of Culture study explores people’s global outlooks, openness to new experiences and motivations for travel.

Big Interview: Culture Trip sets sights on being king of travel content

The tale of Culture Trip’s journey from Elephant and Castle

Culture Trip founder and chief executive Dr Kris Naudts said: “The current socio and geo-political environment is pushing people to engage with culture, and with the meaning of culture, in new and deeper ways.

“This study came about from an ambition to better understand the world of modern experiences and travel from our unique perspective of cultural exploration.

“Culture Trip is an exchange of culture, creativity and places, both digitally and out in the world.

“This study establishes just how fundamental culture is to the way we tell stories about ourselves and our journeys, wherever we are or go.”

The four mindsets the study has discovered are: the culturally aware, the culturally curious, the culturally immersive and the culturally fluid.

Culture Trip says a “new culture economy” is emerging due to the dual forces of globalisation and the experience economy and this is influencing people’s interactions and definitions of cultural exploration.

The firm said more people than ever before are living or working in countries other than the ones they were born in with over half of study respondents (53%) saying they have friends living overseas.

Seventy eight percent of people have friends or family of different nationalities and ethnicities, resulting in increased exposure to global cultures.

“At the same time, the changing economy has resulted in a shift away from materialism, with millennials and Gen Z-ers shaping their identities through collecting experiences over possessions.

“The collision of these two trends has ignited a new travel zeitgeist with cultural curiosity at its heart,” said Culture Trip.

To attract Millennial and Gen Z audiences, Culture Trip said the travel sector must strike the perfect blend of experiences that are:

• Culturally rich, immersive and tangible
• New and undiscovered
• Authentic, but also shareable
• Offer contrast to the everyday
• Within grasp

Natalie Malevsky, vice president of product marketing at Culture Trip, who led the study, said: “We mustn’t forget that tourism is the coming together of people and places.

“By focusing on people, their aspirations, attitudes and backgrounds, the Cultural Mindset study gives shape to the new culture economy, where the mashup of slow and fast culture is what now defines modern travel.

“The industry has a huge opportunity ahead – by appealing to our desire to explore our own cultural identity, every interaction with a diverse and wondrous world is a chance to create meaningful memories.”

The Cultural Mindset white paper – ‘Beyond Borders: The Evolution of Culture’ – is available to download for free.

More: Big Interview: Culture Trip sets sights on being king of travel content

The tale of Culture Trip’s journey from Elephant and Castle