When you look at your audiences / visitors / customers do you think, “Where are the rest of them?” The vast amounts of people traveling these days is not lost on businesses trying to persuade them to come on-board with their services. While it’s only natural to focus on the those people who show up, there is a huge number of people who still want the experiences, but don’t want to join a group.

The travel website Gadling and the UN World Tourism Organization found that between 52% to 62% of people travel independently. They want to have an experience on their own. Independent travel customers want to create their own itinerary and get an authentic, local experience. Most research by this cohort is done online through social networks and websites. While this group wants to be alone, they do want to experience their travel destinations through curated learning, but on their own schedule and with their own friends.

When you are trying to grow your audience, you should seek out these people. They are younger, educated, and have money to spend. More importantly, their numbers are growing with the millennial generation and the increase in the middle classes in developing countries.