Travel preferences determine how to market to Millennials

Posted by: Andriu Brenes

Millennials crave adventure — especially affordable adventure. While some cash-strapped Gen Y members may stay close to home to find adventure nearby, others take to the road or skies to explore other cultures.

Skift.com, which calls itself a “travel intelligence company,” recently came out with a list of the top eight trends that define Millennial travelers. Trends on the list include check-in kiosks, free Wifi, niche review sites and last-minute bookings.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

As Millennials mature, marketers need to pay attention to how this cohort wants to travel. One thing is sure: It’s not how previous generations traveled. Millennials are their own travel agents.

Research by Barkley, Boston Consulting Group and SMG showed that 79 percent of Millennials want to visit all 50 states. Three-fourths of Millennials said they want to travel abroad as much as possible, and 70 percent said they would like to visit all seven continents in their lifetime.

A few hotel chains have already taken steps to market to Millennials.

In March, Country Inns and Suites announced it is updating its look to attract more Gen Y customers. This strays from the hotel chain’s current customer base of Boomer and Gen X customers.

Marriott also announced in March it would be partnering with IKEA to launch a hotel chain geared specifically toward Millennials. The Millennial-focused brand, Moxy Hotels, is scheduled to open 150 locations throughout Europe over the next 10 years.

A recent report by Boston Consulting Group, “Traveling with Millennials,” expanded on the importance of Millennials to the travel industry. The report was based on original research Barkley was involved with.

“Although members of the Millennial generation are not yet the core customers of airlines, hotels, and travel companies, they will be in five to ten years, when they enter their peak earning, spending, and traveling years,” the report said.

photo credit: matt.hintsa via photopin cc

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