World Tourism Network Appoints Official Tourism Research Partner

The World Tourism Network’s partnership with US based Mandala Research builds on the historic commitment to groundbreaking research it continues to make. The founder and president is Laura Mandala.

Mandala Research is a premier travel industry research organization that has worked with major industry brands and destinations for over two decades, including Marriott, Macy’s, Miami, New York, and Visit California.

Mandala was the first organization in 2009 to evaluate the economic value of the African American traveler at a time when the market was being ignored and followed it with a study of the Hispanic and sustainable traveler.

Even in her tenure at the U.S. Travel Association in 2005, Mandala led the first national study of the LGBTQ+ market by a major tourism organization.

Ahead of her time, Mandala Research CEO Laura Mandala sees the partnership with WTN as the first step in changing how we think about travelers’ tolerance for risk.

She said, “While the financial services and other industries have long understood that consumers make choices based on their predisposition for assuming various levels of risk, the travel industry has never factored risk into their understanding of travel choices and experience.

To attain a 360-degree view of how travelers navigate this world and how they factor in the increasing natural and human-made tragedies and disasters they face, we need this additional level of understanding.”

The project will focus on the impacts of disasters, manmade and natural, on communities and tourism. In particular, the study will seek to understand prospective travelers and their safety concerns following tragedies and disasters.

The partnership continues WTN’s historic commitment to groundbreaking research to remain ahead of the curve and competitors.

“Our members are demanding answers and tools to help them capture their share of the global travel market and to meet the needs of visitors often in the face of negative news headlines,” said Juergen Steinmetz, CEO of WTN.

“While this research will assist in destination marketing and communication, it will also aid in better serving hesitant travelers who may be reticent about a particular destination. With this data, we can better inform policies and practices that enhance consumer comfort.”

“The financial services and other industries have long understood that consumers make choices based on their own predisposition for risk. Until now, the travel industry has never factored risk into its understanding of travel choices and experience,” added Laura Mandala, CEO of Mandala Research.

“Through this effort, we will attain a true, 360-degree view of how travelers navigate this world and what factors related to increasing natural disasters and human-made tragedies impact their decision-making.”

In partnership with WTN, Mandala is also conducting the second wave of its Sustainable Traveler Study, which documented that XX% of sustainable travelers express skepticism of travel companies who make undocumented claims about sustainable practices.

These are travelers committed to limiting their carbon footprint in all aspects of their lives and value companies who demonstrate the same commitment.

The study’s first wave is available to members of the World Tourism Network and partners.

More on Laura Mandala:

Laura Mandala is committed to helping the tourism industry unlock, decode, and harness the power of travel data. As head of Mandala Research, a leading travel and tourism research firm, she evaluates important emerging developments that help destinations and travel companies attract the right travelers.

Appointed by the Obama Administration to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, Laura was responsible for providing input on the United States’ global tourism strategy. 

Over her career, she has worked across all segments of the travel industry, creating partnerships and alliances with key tourism organizations to conduct national studies. for resorts, hotels, destinations, and retail and residential developers, surveying consumers in over twenty-five international markets.  

Mandala’s firm has pioneered many “firsts” in niche studies for the travel industry and offers extensive knowledge of several growing demographics and trends, including African American Travel, U.S. Hispanic travelers, the LGBTQ market, and inbound international travelers to the U.S. She was named one of the 14 Most Influential Women in Group Travel and was awarded the prestigious APEX Award by Black Meetings and Tourism for the industry’s first study assessing the value of African American travelers.

Mandala has worked extensively with the U.S. Department of the Interior in bringing together tourism partners to reach a shared value of local black cultural and heritage tourism for expanding the community’s economic health and its long-term sustainability. 

Her career includes tenure at the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), where as Vice President of Research, she increased member engagement, expanded the diversity of research services, and increased revenues.  Under her leadership that the USTA became the first national association to document the value and importance of the LGBTQ travel community.

As a consultant with Marriott International for over a decade, she worked on over eighty studies across the company’s portfolio. She was the architect of the company’s first global brand tracking and brand equity program, creating consistent measures for evaluating each brand in each market against its competitors. 

In addition to heading Mandala Research, Laura also serves as Senior Vice President to the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce, working to build bridges of understanding across cultures through tourism, and is a partner to SafeTourism.com, using the firm’s research to help the industry better understand risk and perceptions in travel decision-making. 

Based in Alexandria, Va., Mandala regularly speaks at tourism industry conferences and is a trusted and popular industry source for journalists. Her work has been cited by major news outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and many others.

Mandala has also held many teaching appointments as a lecturer at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, including an adjunct professorship in the McDonough School of Business MBA program and the George Washington School of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

She serves on the Executive Board of the World Tourism Network and is on the Advocacy Committee of the Travel and Tourism Research Association. Additional Boards of Directors where she serves include Metro Stage Theatre in Virginia, Alexandria Celebrates Women, and Safer Country.

Laura is the founder of Women in Travel and Tourism International, an organization committed to increasing the number of women in the industry’s most senior leadership roles. She completed her doctoral work at Northwestern University and resides in Alexandria, Virginia.