How Millennials Are Changing the Ways We Travel

Posted by Peter Hilliard on March 13th, 2018

How Millennials Are Changing the Ways We Travel

Millennials are an interesting breed of traveller. They travel more than older generations (32% more than Gen Xers and 44% more than Boomers), and they like doing it in their own way—seeking in-the-moment experiences that give them a taste of what it would be like to live like a local.

In a recent blog, WTM highlighted a few ways millennials are changing the game when it comes to travel. We’ve summarized their thoughts and added a few of our own insights here:
 

1. Millennials Are Travelling More Often, and They’re Not Going Alone

 
While the average Gen Xer takes a trip 3.2 times per year and the average Boomer 2.9 times, Millennials are travelling an average of 4.2 times per year.

Millennials aren’t travelling solo either. In one survey from HVS, 58% of Millennial respondents said that they prefer making trips with friends. Only about 38% of Gen Xers and Boomers said the same.
 

2. Millennials Are Conscious of Their Budgets, But They’re Not Cheap

 
Although they have developed a reputation for being stingy travellers, the reality is that Millennials are ready to spend in order to create memorable experiences.

In the WYSE Millennial Traveller survey, Millennials’ top three priorities were:

  • Interacting with locals.
  • Experiencing a place.
  • Increasing their knowledge.

In other words, they’re ready to open their wallets to go places and do things—filling their cameras with photos instead of their bags with souvenirs.
 

3. Millennials Want to See and Hear What Their Fellow Travellers Have Done

 
In deciding where they’ll stay and what they’ll do, Millennials really care what their friends and other travellers have to say. They ask questions around their networks and rely on third-party review sites like TripAdvisor. Remember, the average Millennial will consult 10.2 sources before they make a final booking.

How Can You Appeal to the Millennial Traveller?

When it comes to attracting the attention of Millennials, you can give your tour and brand a boost by:

  • Using a real and authentic voice in all of your communications.
  • Personalizing experiences.
  • Rewarding travellers for their loyalty.
  • Enabling and encouraging them to share their experiences.
  • Facilitating on-the-move decision making.
  • Ensuring frictionless booking experiences.

Check out our blog to read more about how tour operators can connect with Millennials.

As Millennial travelers continue to influence the marketplaces they interact with and create, the key for future-forward tour operators will be to remain one step ahead. In Wayne Gretzky’s own words, “skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

At DataTrax, we design tour operator software and booking solutions that will help you make the most of evolving opportunities and grow your business today and into the future. Contact us today to learn more about our suite of services!

Do you want to discover risk-free how DataTrax’s solutions will benefit your business? Click here to start your free demo! 

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Peter Hilliard

About Peter Hilliard

Peter Hilliard is the Founder, President, and CEO of DataTrax. He began his career as a tour bus operator with a single bus, until he realized that a better solution was needed for automating and tracking ticket sales. Led by Peter’s expertise in the tour industry and ticketing automation technologies, DataTrax has grown over the past 20+ years into an international leader in ticketing solutions.