Hispanic Family Camper Market - InsideOutdoor Magazine

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14|IO

Pitching
Campistas
Camping vacations
could be an inroad to
Hispanic travelers
According to United States Census figures, one in every three
Americans now belongs to a minority group, though one couldn’t
always tell by looking at the customers of most outdoor retail
shops. And when considering that certain minority populations
are growing at a much faster clip than the overall U.S. population,
it’s no surprise that some within the outdoor industry are looking
at ways to address what’s been called the “demographic shift”
taking place across the country.
Fortunately for folks playing in the camping market, especially
family camping, a recent report from the Travel Industry
Association of America (TIA) notes a significant increase in travel
activity among minority Americans, specifically Hispanic, African
and Asian American travelers. While overall U.S. travel grew by
about 2 percent during the last three years, minority travel has
increased by about 11 percent during the same time period. In
2002, TIA estimates that minority travelers generated about 18
percent of all “person trips” taken in the U.S. and 19 percent of
domestic travel expenditures.
That’s good news because the growth is coming exclusively
in “leisure” travel, which is the primary objective of more than
three quarters of all person trips taken, says TIA. The largest
percentage of these trips occurs in the summer months – the
traditional “camping season” – and are made by folks who like
to head to the beach, shop, visit relatives and hit amusement
parks while out vacationing. In other words, it’s many of the folks
camping companies call customers.
And if camping acts as a “gateway activity,” as its been called,
what better opportunity to entice emerging minority markets to
the world of human-powered recreation than a summer camping
vacation? Zeroing in on minority “travelers” in particular
appears attractive since these groups tend to skew higher than
normal in areas such as income and education level, home and
car ownership and access to media, suggests TIA research.
Among the groups of travelers studied by TIA, Hispanic
American travelers, for many reasons, seem to represent the best
fit for companies dependent on camping goods sales. And lots of
those reasons are matters of simple numbers.
Minority Travel Growth, Person Trips
Taken in Millions
Segment 2000 2002 Growth
Hispanic Americans 64.1 77.1 20%
Asian Americans 30.0 33.1 10%
African Americans 72.2 75.2 4%
Total U.S. 997.6 1,021.3 2%
Source: TIA
The Major Minority
For starters, Hispanics now represent the largest minority
group in the nation, accounting for more than 13 percent of
the total U.S. population in 2002 or about 39 million residents.
Hispanic travelers also are the most apt to participate in outdoor
recreation among the three groups surveyed by TIA. “Outdoor
recreation” was listed as the second most popular trip activity
among Hispanic travelers, behind only “shopping,” with 16
percent of Hispanic person trips involving outdoor activities of
one sort or another. That’s slightly more than Asian-Americans,
IO|15

Trip and Traveler Characteristics, 2002
Characteristic
Total U.S.
Travelers
Hisp-Am.
Travelers
which listed “outdoor recreation” as the third most popular activity (14
percent of person trips) and widely ahead of African Americans, for
which outdoor sports (at 8 percent) fail to crack the list of top five most
popular trip activities.
What’s more, camping marketed as a classic “family” activity would
seem to have the most appeal to Hispanics, as “the primary theme for
African-Am.
Travelers
Asia-Am.
Travelers
Avg. households traveling each month 31% 28% 22% 37%
Trip involves “outdoor activities” 17% 16% 8% 14%
Outdoor activity is primary purpose 10% 8% 5% 8%
Trip includes visit to National/State Park 10% 9% 5% 9%
Avg. trip duration (includes 0 nights) 3.4 days 3.8 days 3.3 days 3.1 days
Avg. trip duration (excludes 0 nights) 4.1 days 4.5 days 4.2 days 3.3 days
Avg. trip spending $457 $480 $428 $515
Trips as solo travelers 44% 41% 51% 50%
Party includes adult(s) with children 24% 33% 26% 22%
Household median annual income $56,600 $45,400 $40,500 $73,300
Married household 64% 58% 42% 48%
Avg. age household head 47 years 40 years 45 years 38 years
Household holding Visa card 73% 69% 65% 84%
Household owning PC 82% 77% 71% 91%
Cable TV household 66% 64% 71% 60%
Household considered “young parents” 11% 22% 15% 7%
Source: TIA
Hispanic American travelers
is family,” says Suzanne Cook,
TIA senior vice president
– research & technology.
Consider, for example,
that a third of trips taken by
Hispanic households includes
children under 18 years old.
Conversely, adults traveling
alone or with someone outside
their household make up 51
percent of African American
trips and 50 percent of Asian
American trips. All the while,
one in four trips taken by
African American households
(26 percent) includes children
under 18, while one in five
Asian American household trips
(22 percent) include children.
Hispanic American travelers
also are most likely to include a
group of four or more.
Likewise, according to Census figures, more than half of U.S.
Hispanic households (58 percent) have children under the age of 18
at home, compared with just more than a third (36 percent) of total
U.S. households.
Hispanic American travelers also tend to be younger than average,
reflecting the generally youthful Hispanic population in the U.S. The

States with Highest Projected
Hispanic Population, 2005
California 12,268,000
Texas 6,624,000
New York 3,071,000
Florida 2,845,000
Arizona 1,269,000
Illinois 1,450,000
New Jersey 1,196,000
New Mexico 821,000
Colorado 682,000
Massachusetts 524,000
Washington 437,000
Pennsylvania 391,000
Nevada 350,000
Connecticut 332,000
Virginia 322,000
Michigan 289,000
Maryland 258,000
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
median age for U.S.
Hispanics is 25.9 years
old compared with 35.3
for the overall population,
according to Census figures.
More than a third of Latinos
are under the age of 18.
According to the research
group HispanTelligence,
younger Hispanics control a
greater share of their ethnic
group’s total purchasing
power than their non-
Hispanic counterparts.
Hispanics age 15 to 34 earn
37 percent of total Hispanic
income versus 21 percent for
non-Hispanic whites, says
HispanTelligence research,
all of which doesn’t hurt
efforts to inject some youth
into the outdoor industry
customer base.
Counting the Dinero
So how big is the potential U.S. Hispanic camping market? According
to industry associations, anywhere from 20 to 25 percent of the total
U.S. population participates in camping. If we can assume a 15 percent
adoption rate by the 39 million U.S. Hispanics, there could be up to 5.85
million Hispanic campers in the states.
In 2002, NSGA estimated that a base of about 60 million camping
participants purchased about $1.4 billion in “camping equipment” at
retail, or about $23.3 per camper. At 5.85 million Hispanic campers, the
market for equipment purchased by U.S. Hispanics could equal more
than $136.3 million annually. At 20 percent penetration, there could be
$181.7 million in Hispanic camping equipment purchases.
SGMA, for its part, estimates that camping products created about
$1.7 billion in wholesale value in 2002, spread amongst 58.3 million U.S.
campers (tent and RV), for a wholesale value of $29.1 per camper. At
those figures, the Hispanic camping market could have a wholesale value
of $170.2 million, assuming 15 percent participation, and $227 million at
20 percent participation.
Of course, an adoption rate of 15 to 20 percent is a lofty goal and
assumes any industry efforts to target Hispanics would be highly
effective. There are reasons, however, to believe they can be. While much
of the 20 percent increase in Hispanic American travel can be attributed
to population growth (Hispanics accounted for half the growth in
population for the entire U.S. from 2000 to 2002), TIA president and
CEO William Norman believes industry efforts deserve at least some of
the credit.
“Every sector of our industry – hotels, theme parks, city visitor
bureaus – has begun to reach out to the minority traveler through targeted
advertising, minority travel guides and special ethnic promotions, and I
think we are seeing the results,” says Norman.
The sheer numbers also instill hope. After all, Hispanics took more
than 77 million person trips in 2002 or 8 percent of all trips taken by U.S.
households. Furthermore, Hispanic American travel activity mirrors the
overall population enough to suggest there could be similarities in their

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U.S. States with Highest Rates of Hispanic
Population Growth, 1995 to 2015
State Pop. 1995 Pop. 2015 % Change
North Dakota 4,000 11,000 175.0%
Vermont 4,000 10,000 150.0%
Nevada 192,000 460,000 139.6%
Idaho 72,000 160,000 122.2%
Rhode Island 60,000 133,000 121.6%
New Hampshire 13,000 28,000 115.4%
Oregon 150,000 323,000 115.3%
Washington 284,000 605,000 113.0%
Wyoming 27,000 57,000 111.1%
West Virginia 9,000 19,000 111.1%
Minnesota 73,000 150,000 105.5%
Virginia 209,000 429,000 105.3%
Massachusetts 355,000 719,000 102.5%
Maryland 172,000 345,000 100.6%
Arkansas 27,000 54,000 100.0%
Delaware 19,000 38,000 100.0 %
Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Inside Outdoor analysis
camping and recreation adoption.
For example, TIA estimates that each month
during 2002, an average of 31 percent of the 109
million U.S. households took at least one trip,
while 28 percent of Hispanic households did
the same. Leisure travel represented 77 percent
of trips taken by both total U.S. and Hispanic
travelers, and the average length of a trip was
3.4 nights for the total U.S. population and 3.8
nights for Hispanic Americans. Additionally,
the summer months are the most popular time
for traveling among both groups, representing
32 percent for each, while total U.S. travelers
spent about $450 per trip versus the $480 per
trip spent by Hispanic American travelers.
About 10 percent of total U.S. trips involved
a visit to a National Park or Forest, while 9
percent of Hispanic trips did the same.
Destinations
Of course, differences do appear when
looking at things geographically. In 2000, for
example, 66 percent of the nation’s Hispanics
were concentrated in just four states: California
(31 percent), Texas (19 percent), New York (8
percent) and Florida (8 percent), so the market
obviously is much more important to retailers
in those states than in some others.
Moving forward, however, Hispanics are
proving highly mobile, partly due to the fact
that about 53 percent of the recent growth
in Hispanic population can be attributed to
net international migration. Recently, regions
such as the Southeast, Pacific Northwest and
Upper Midwest have experienced the highest
growth rates of Hispanic
residents, according to
Census estimates. Literally
throughout the country,
states not traditionally
known for high Hispanic
concentrations, such as
North Dakota, Vermont,
Idaho, Washington and
Minnesota, are seeing
some of the highest rates
of growth in Hispanic
citizens.
Speaking in Tongues
Already, in states such
as California, New York
and Arizona, bilingual
signage at retail, Spanishenabled
ATM machines,
Spanish-speaking sales
and support personnel
and the like are becoming
the norm. That’s likely to
occur in more and more regions over time.
But that’s not to say that every store manager
suddenly needs to take Spanish lessons. Rather,
the Spanish language is more a matter of
marketing strategy than necessity.
Typically, Hispanic groups are not overly
resistant to learning and speaking English. It’s
been estimated that as much as two-thirds to
three-quarters of Hispanic Americans speak at
least some English. The figures could be even
higher among Hispanic American “travelers,”
so language isn’t necessarily a huge barrier.
On the other hand, analysts at research firm
Cheskin argue that 69 percent of Hispanics
prefer to speak more Spanish than English and
thus speak Spanish at home most often. What’s
more, say Cheskin researchers, Hispanics tend
to “embrace their heritage and identity,” and
the Spanish language “represents an emotional
attachment to the culture.”
In other words, for native Spanish speakers,
communication in Spanish is not just functional
but is a manifestation of emotion, says Cheskin,
and that’s because a person’s native language
carries connotations of past experiences, and
the emotional component of language is a
fundamental part of meaning and perception.
Hearing and seeing one’s native language also
works as a type of welcome mat, creating a
comfort zone for conducting commerce.
“Language is a powerful identification tool
for marketing to Hispanics in the U.S.,” says
Cheskin.
The influence of the Spanish language is
best illustrated through Hispanic American’s

Aspects of Culture and Tradition
Hispanics View as Most Important to
Preserve
Family/commitment to family 56%
Spanish language 54%
Respect for elders/parents 47%
Religion/church 37%
Holidays/celebrations 35%
Food/beverages 33%
Music/songs 27%
Spanish-language stories/books 19%
Source: Cheskin; Yankelovich
consumption of radio and television programming.
According to Cheskin surveys, consumption
of Spanish-language broadcasts is significantly
higher among Hispanic Americans despite the
much greater selection of English-only stations
and content.
As far as print media and Internet usage,
which still trend toward English-only content,
Cheskin argues that the preeminence of English
in these formats is due to Spanish-language print
and Internet content and distribution lagging
dramatically behind Spanish-language broadcasts.
Making Waves
Radio is of particular interest, as it seems to
represent the most effective way for local retailers
to reach Hispanic audiences. According to
Arbitron figures, Hispanic Americans are heavy
radio listeners, averaging more hours of listening
per week (19:15) than non-Hispanics (16:30).
When listening to Spanish-language radio,
Hispanics stay tuned even longer, averaging 21:45
hours listening per week, says the ratings and
media research firm. Ratings data also suggests
that Hispanics spend more time with radio than
newspaper and even television, says Arbitron.
As far as timing, radio listening among
Hispanics starts picking up at 6 a.m. and remains
strong through 6 p.m., at which time it begins to
taper off. Peak listening times on weekends fall
around the noon hour – from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Listening is lowest throughout the week from
midnight to 5 a.m., notes Arbitron.
Again, Spanish-language radio is key, as it
makes up for about half of listening hours. Of
course, as Arbitron is quick to point out, Spanishlanguage
is not a format but is made up of a group
of formats, which includes Mexican Regional,
Spanish Contemporary, Spanish News/Talk,
Spanish Oldies, Spanish Tropical, Spanish Variety
and Tejano. While listed here in order of highest
to lowest ratings on a national level, some regional
variations do apply. For example, while Mexican
Regional is the most popular format in most of the
country (no doubt due to the predominance of
Mexican Americans among Hispanic populations),
(Continued on page 38)

(Continued from page 19)
Media Consumption by Language, Average Hours per Week
Media Channel
Television
Radio
Newspapers
Magazines
Books
Origin
Hours
English
Hrs. Spanish/
Other
Spanish Tropical draws the best ratings in New England and Mid-
Atlantic states, while Spanish Contemporary plays best in the South
Atlantic and Spanish Variety in the West North Central, according to
Arbitron figures.
In terms of preferred “Latin Music,” Rancheros, Salsa, Boleros
and Banda are most popular, according to Cheskin surveys. Outside of
Spanish-language formats, adult contemporary and contemporary hit
radio generate solid ratings among U.S. Hispanics.
Otra Opportunities
Beyond the airwaves, ethnic marketing experts recommend tapping
Total
Hours
Hispanics 4.54 7.14 11.68
Non-Hispanics 12.07 0.25 12.32
Hispanics 4.16 5.88 10.04
Non-Hispanics 11.55 0.11 11.66
Hispanics 1.11 0.72 1.82
Non-Hispanics 3.43 0.02 3.45
Hispanics 0.80 0.72 1.52
Non-Hispanics 2.27 0.03 2.30
Hispanics 1.39 1.16 2.54
Non-Hispanics 4.86 0.07 4.93
Hispanics 1.71 0.46 2.17
Internet
Non-Hispanics 5.27 0.04 5.31
Source: Cheskin and People en Espanol `
into Hispanic’s deeply rooted sense of family and
community building by utilizing word-of-mouth tactics
and gaining a presence in the places Hispanic Americans
live and play. This could include working with local
affinity groups, restaurants and markets, church groups
and the like, as well as presenting relevant signage at
cultural festivals and celebrations. There may never be
a more opportune time to establish such relationships,
because while Hispanic Americans make up more than
13 percent of the population and maybe 7 percent of
buying power, it’s estimated that only about 3 percent
of advertising is focused on the market.
Still others have had success using direct mail
campaigns in neighborhoods with high Hispanic
American concentrations. Across all efforts, again some
familiarity with the Spanish language helps portray a
store or operation as being part of (or at least open to)
the “community” and “culture.”
Finally, marketing imagery that focuses on the “family”
aspects of camping (relaxing with relatives or preparing
meals with children, for examples) should prove much more effective than
the “adventurous” photography often used by outdoor companies.
As Hispanics become the dominant minority in the U.S. (and in
some cases the majority), many marketers feel content waiting for
a “mainstreaming” of the segment, for a time when Hispanics have
assimilated enough to be captured by traditional advertising and
promotional efforts. This may be the easiest path. But as the Hispanic
culture becomes more prevalent, and thus is validated, it’s likely
Hispanic Americans will influence the mainstream as much as they
assimilate to it. IO
Advertiser Index
Adventure 16 18
American Hiking Society 25
ASF Group 27
Atwood Ropes 39
Cam Commerce Solutions 17
Clear the Air 35
Cyclops 11
Durapeg 37
General Ecology 19
HEC 3
Implus/Sof Sole 5
Kelty 16
Kiva Designs 19
NRS 23
Paha Que 13
Peregrine Outfi tters 21
Polarguard 40
Sevylor 7
Sun Company 26
Swarovski Optik 2
TallySoft 31
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