A New-To-Market Travel App Taps The Culturist Group to Appeal to Diverse Travelers.
Updated: Jul 25, 2022
On the heels of its global launch, WayAway, a new travel search and booking platform that promises its users cashback benefits, looked to The Culturist Group to help power its inclusive and multicultural content strategy. WayAway and its parent company Travelpayouts are brands of Go Travel Un Limited, an international travel company operating in 35 countries.
The Case
With content creators from around the globe contributing to the platform’s ‘for travelers by travelers’ approach to curating destination guides and travel content, WayAway looked to The Culturist Group to help review existing content and provide its content strategy team with the tools and resources to help content creators produce inclusive, culturally relevant, and sensitive content on destinations around the world.
"The Culturist Group helped to illuminate the ways in which our content strategy will reflect the ideals of inclusivity and multiculturalism as we launch and grow our brand."
The Work
The Culturist Group worked with WayAway’s Director of Public Relations and its Lead Content Creator on two separate initiatives.
WayAway Content Review & Recommendations The Culturist Group reviewed a total of 20 destination guides reflective of the diversity of destinations and experiences featured on the WayAway travel app. From Bali to Mexico City, and New York City to Savannah and Charleston, a deep review and audit of these destination guides yielded over 40 suggestions which were put forth and implemented by WayAway content creators to improve culturally-sensitivity including, unconscious bias, colonialism, appropriate references to slavery, gentrification and approaches to inclusive content were provided.
WayAway Multicultural & Inclusivity Training Guide Following the audit and recommendation of a representative set of destination guides, The Culturist Group next developed a custom training and resource guide to be utilized by the WayAway content and public relations teams to educate current and future content contributors on the range of topics and areas that matter most to multicultural travelers and seekers of inclusive travel experiences.
Spanning 30 pages, the guide covers the following topics in detail and includes relevant examples: Understanding Bias, Dispersing Travelers, Addressing Socioeconomic Issues, Slavery, Colonialism & Historical Sites, Cultural & Ethnic Diversity, Empowering Women, The LGBTQ+ Community, Asian Communities & The Pandemic, Indigenous Communities, Photography & Imagery, and Diversity & Inclusion Vocabulary.
The Culturist Group supported a live training session facilitated by Founder and Principal Danny Guerrero for content creators from around the world. The presentation included a live Q&A session and discussion in which practical applications were presented using content examples from the destination guides in the app, paired with lessons from the guide to discuss ways to improve and align content to become more inclusive and culturally-appropriate.
The Result
“Not only does WayAway as a travel app and platform rely on a user experience that promises tangible rewards as a key differentiator, but we also understand that to gain the trust and confidence of our target consumers, that they are looking for content that reveals the most authentic and responsible ways to experience our world. Danny became a trusted partner in helping to train our content creators on the best ways to reflect a truly inclusive travel experience.”
Janis Dzenis, Director of Public Relations, WayAway, and TravelPayouts
