Monday, November 10, 2008

Success in Marketing to People with Disabilities

In my first couple of entries I talked about how much money travelers with disabilities spend in different areas of travel and how some of the necessary fixes to making sure these travelers are properly accommodated don’t cost much money at all. My last two posts (hopefully) dispelled some of the popular myths about people with disabilities. With all of this in mind, let’s talk about some of the success stories we are already seeing from the few major travel providers that are already taking advantage of this untapped market.

In 2003, Microtel Inns & Suites, a budget line of motels, decided to start marketing to travelers with disabilities. Their plan immediately paid off! In one year, here is what they reported:

o 275% increase in ADA Room Night Bookings
o 260% increase in revenue from ADA room bookings
o 400% increase in internet bookings

IF there are still any questions as to this market’s viability, I have more examples I will chare next week. IF you know of any successes within this market, please share your stories with me. Craig.kennedy@ckconsultingonline.com

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Craig, thanks for very interesting articles on marketing - amazing statts! I wish that you could give a talk in SA to our tourism industry! Jaws will hang...

Unknown said...

Karin,

i would love to come to South America? to speak. You have any connections with people that are interested in this topic and in having a qualified speaker travel there to make a presentation?