Ahhh – the millennial.
The largest generation to date, there are 79 million millennial Americans among us. Spanning those born between 1980 and 2000, millennials are an interesting breed. The oldest of the bunch knows life before technology while the youngest are borderline Generation Z, the first true digital natives the world has ever seen.
Because of their wide age range and inherent knowledge of the power of technology, millennials are a generation that too many marketers have never truly understood.
Until now.
A generation that craves culture, world education and social acceptance, millennials are the perfect travelers.
A recently published infographic by Travel Pulse explored the hard numbers behind millennial travelers, what drives them and how to reach them.
We’ve pulled some of the numbers for you to explore, because as at-home travel agents, understanding the psychology of your market is important to what you do.
Who is the Millennial Traveler?
- 86% travel to experience culture
- 84% reported that user-generated content influences their buying habits more than ads
- 76% decide on a travel destination based upon friends’ recommendations
- 87% use social media for travel inspiration
- 75% wish to travel abroad as much as possible
TRAVEL HABITS:
- 85% check multiple sites to compare deals
- Nearly half book their travel on a mobile device
- 74% use mobile devices to search for travel-related information
- Their top international destination is Europe
- Their top domestic destination is Hawaii
- 58% prefer full-service hotels
- 2/3 will post to social media at least once per day while traveling
- 75% have travel apps on their phone
MARKETING TO MILLENNIALS
- 86% are disappointed by websites that lack good mobile responsiveness
- They enjoy engaging interactions on social media
- They love experiential travel
In order to appeal to millennials, make sure that you strongly emphasize mobile-friendly site pages, explore social media and produce engaging, useful content.
This generation isn’t gimmicky. They’ve experienced many changes along the way and they can see right through businesses and advertisements that are trying just to sell them.
So don’t sell them – earn their trust – and in turn, their loyalty.
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