Expedia Group has released a new report (see External Article) on the travel behavior of persons of the Gen Z demographic (ages 18-23) living in 11 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia - Pacific.
Some general findings about Gen Z travelers:
- 84% are influenced by social media.
- 66% don't know where they want to go.
- 77% are seeking or at least open to inspiration about travel choices.
- 60% say ads can be influential.
- Deals and images more important than content or reviews.
- 60% say ads can be influential.
- Take almost as many trips as Millennials: 23 days a year in leisure travel on average.
- "Relaxing" is most popular trip type (54%).
- Budget is a consideration for 82%, and 54% say "best deals and value" are important aspects of trips.
- Most important aspects of trips:
- Activities
- Once in a lifetime experience
- High smartphone usage:
- 79% in-trip
- 68% for inspiration
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So, actionable items for travel/tourism marketers:
- Get your destination or product talked about (favorably) on social media, especially on platforms preferred by young people. (Statista says Snapchat and Instagram are #1 and #2 for this age group in 2018.)
- Offer good deals.
- Use good photos and other images in ads.
- Make digital ads and website mobile-friendly, for both trip planning and in-trip use.
- Stress realxing aspects of what a trip to your place would provide, and interesting activities.
- If you can provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a budget price, you're golden!