Speaking their language
More US travel agencies are specializing in non-English speaking clients, creating a need for companies such as M2 Travel & Hospitality. Yvan Hennecart told TravelMole:
“There’s been a push to cater to the non-English speaking market, which is huge.”
Multicultural and multilingual travelers represent one of the fastest growing areas of the industry, said Mr Hennecart, a senior account executive.
He cited statistics showing that international traveler spending in the US is expected to increase 5.5% in 2004, rising to more than $69 billion. That number is expected to be $75 billion in 2005.
M2 Travel provides globalization services for all branches of the travel industry, including translation services.
Mr Hennecart noted that several low-cost airlines such as Southwest and JetBlue are now offering other languages on their booking sites.
“The major airlines will hopefully follow, though they have a money problem,” he said.
He said one area of particular demand for non-English language speakers is the Korean market.
“The last statistic I saw was that 47% of the Koreans in the US had high educational levels,” he said.
Not all those Koreans speak English, he added. “But there’s a demand from them — both for traveling back to Korea, and for travel throughout the US,’” he said.
“I’ve seen some travel agents begin to look to gain some share of that market. There’s definitely a market” for all non-English travelers, he added.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025