Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants surveyed more than 4,000 active social media users from Australia, Japan, the UK and the US. It found that 42% of UK respondents are unsure, or disagree, that travel content from creators on social media is inclusive of a variety of demographic groups. In addition, 38% of UK consumers said they don’t feel well represented in travel influencer content, or were unsure.
Globally, 85% of travellers said they want brand social media content to be more inclusive and 84% believed travel brands could do more to support a diverse set of travel creators. The survey also found 76% of respondents felt more realistic depictions of travel from content creators on social media would be more valuable than existing travel content. Nearly half of survey respondents have some negative feelings, such as jealousy, towards the current travel industry content they see on social media.
In response to the results Kimpton has formed its Stay Human Creator Collective, which includes six creators from across the globe. The group has worked with the brand to help create a new set of brand commitments, including not issuing traditional content creator briefs. It will also ensure that at least 75% of Kimpton brand-contracted creators “reflect its commitments to increased inclusivity and authenticity of perspectives and experiences”, which includes race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, size, gender, age and disability.
Watch the Creator Collective video below:
Kimpton, which is part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, will also introduce Stay Human packages at select hotels from February 2023, based on insights gained from the survey and the Creator Collective.
Chief commercial officer Kathleen Reidenbach said: “We want our guests and our employees to be comfortable and embraced for being their most authentic selves, no matter their pronoun, skin colour or body type. However, we know that social media and marketing content within the travel industry hasn’t always reflected the people and experiences that truly make up our global community.
"That’s why we are committed to diving deeper into the foundation of our Stay Human brand ethos with new brand commitments that will continue to change the way we work with creators, the imagery we share and the experiences we offer."
