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.
• 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

=============================================

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!