Diaspora Relations

With the prediction that by 2031 the population of the UK will rise to over 70 million, with 70% of the rise over the next twenty years attributable to immigration, a new type of tourism is set to have a major impact on the travel industry – Diaspora tourism.

Diaspora tourism can be divided into three distinct segments – heritage, residential and festival. Heritage tourism is predominantly driven by Diaspora tourists that wish to discover their ancestry and heritage. They tend to be older and from middle income groups travelling back to their home country for one or two weeks and stay in hotel or private accommodation. They often use the services of a local to help them trace their family background and take short language or culinary courses. They tend to travel with their immediate families who account for 21% of leisure arrivals to Eastern Europe with a 4% growth over 2005-2006.

Residential tourists encompass Eastern Europeans that live and work abroad who have invested or plan to invest in property in their country of origin whilst Festival tourists include Diaspora tourists travelling back for important events and festivals such as Easter, Christmas, weddings and christenings. They spend more when they return to their home country on shopping and entertainment as costs are much lower than in their adopted country.

We currently operate an extensive diaspora-focused public relations campaign for our client the Jamaica Tourist Board. London has a strong Jamaican diaspora. An estimated 7% of Londoners are of Jamaican heritage. Many are now at least second-, if not third- or fourth-generation Black British Caribbeans. Also a further 2% of people in London are of mixed Jamaican and British origin, the largest mixed-race group of the country and the fastest-growing.