2017: Millennials and Travel

2017: Millennials and Travel

Millennials are a unique group in so many ways, it should come as no surprise that their travel habits and preferences are different than their predecessors too.

Mass Media

Based on research by Topdeck Travel, 35 percent of Canadian millennials say they have made a decision on where to travel based on a movie they saw. That figure is backed up by similar studies in the U.S. More interesting details about Canadian millennials:

• 21% decided on their travel destination because of a food trend that went viral on Instagram or other social media, like cronuts, the doughnut/croissant cross made famous by Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City, or rainbow bagels from The Bagel Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• 10% said their trip destination was inspired by a favourite celebrity.

Romance

Canadian Millennials love to travel, that's the easy part. The rest is often surprising.
• 32% of Canadian millennials said they would cut down or even give up dating to save money for travel.
• 16% said they were on the lookout for a romantic relationship during their travels.
• 10% use dating apps more often while traveling abroad than they did at home.
• 31% said that socializing while they were traveling was an important aspect of their trip.
• 23% reported that they have passed up on opportunities to travel in the past because they couldn’t find anyone to go with them.
• 25% felt badly about how little they’ve traveled in their lives.

Similar surveys by Contiki, a European tour operator specializing in the 18-35 market, found that many millennials had given up on the traditional goal of buying a home in the overheated real estate markets, opting instead to spend their money on travel. Thirty-three percent of 18-to-21 year olds, and 39 per cent of 22-to-36 year olds, surveyed said they were happy to borrow money to go travelling.

Business Travel

In the U.S., millennials make up about a third of the work force, and they're changing business travel too.

• Digital World - constant connectivity is a must for any accommodations;
• They are more likely to use Uber or Lyft (81%) than rental cars or regular taxis;
• They prefere Airbnb to a luxury suite.
• With more millennials taking more business trips than previous generations, the practice of adding a few days of vacay time to a business trip is on the rise too.

What's driving them is what is driving the travel industry, and changing travel for everyone. It's also opening up whole new market forces.