Do you feel restless and have the itch to travel? Is your mind constantly wandering to distant shores and your spirit filled with wanderlust? If you are ready to pack your bags and have all of the necessary documents, recent findings show that your sense of fulfillment is probably higher.
According to Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton (NYSE: HLT), approximately 41% of Americans have a valid U.S. passport,1 which results in greater contentment. Consequently, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is launching the Hilton Passport Project to help Americans have their passports ready, so they can travel at a moment’s notice.
Research About American Travelers With Available Passports
The Hilton study2 of 1,000 travelers researched the following in relation to passports: connection to happiness, motivation for securing one, existing usage and revelation of personality. The findings identified three points about American travelers who have passports:
- Greater fulfillment: More than half (53%) of Americans with passports report a sense of fulfillment versus just over a third (34%) who do not yet have passports.
- Potential for increased usage with more opportunities: Among respondents who have a passport (but haven’t been abroad in the past 12 months), 18% have never used their passport.
- High motivation and plans to travel: Six in 10 Americans are motivated to travel abroad, and 27% already have plans to use their passport.
In addition to these findings, Hilton developed a “Passport Personality Index.” These traveler categories included Globetrotters, Future Explorers and “Maybe Later” International Travelers. Personality traits were motivation to travel, contentment with life, social media sharing habits and even the interest to see America before traveling abroad. The compelling findings from the study are outlined in a Hilton Blue Paper: The State of U.S. Passport Use, available online here.
New York City Event This Fall With Chance to Win a Trip
To help current and future travelers add a stamp in their passport, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is partnering with Zach Houghton, founder of Passion Passport. Houghton and the Passion Passport community connect travelers and potential travelers who are searching for exciting experiences and fresh viewpoints around the world. Houghton will team up with Hilton Hotels & Resorts to invite his followers to a live event in New York City this fall, which will guide people through the process of getting a passport, provide information about cultures and destinations from across the globe and give them a chance to win a thrilling trip.
Beyond New York, Hilton will set up Passport Project activations at select hotels and locations later this year. Visitors may take their passport photo and receive all the information and materials needed to apply for one. Interactive experiences will also be available to increase interest in worldwide travel.
Travelers will also spot immersive digital videos, billboard installations and terminal activities from the brand’s newest campaign, “The World Is Right Here.” At some of the country’s busiest airports including Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas, the campaign will highlight the value of travel and ways to empower consumers to travel more – with passports in hand – to experience other cultures and destinations.
For additional information on the Hilton Passport Project and the Passport Personality Index, resources available to help consumers obtain passports and some destination inspiration, visit news.hilton.com/passportproject or follow along on social via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hilton), Instagram (@hiltonhotels) and Twitter (@hiltonhotels) using hashtag #PassportProject.
Why Travel?
Why do you think traveling is a valuable experience? Here are some of our reasons, along with a podcast, in Why Travel? Glorious San Francisco! and Endless Reasons to Travel. You’ll also find great travel pieces including Artsphoria’s 5-in-1 Travel Bag in Artsphoria Shop.
Let us know your reasons to travel, and post your comments now!
1 https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/statistics.html
2 Hilton Hotels & Resorts commissioned a 15-minute, online survey among a nationally-representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ that have traveled within and/or outside of the U.S. in the past 12 months. The margin of error for this sample is +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level. The survey was fielded by Edelman Intelligence between May 30 and June 6, 2017.