Thanks to high speed service, Millennials who love
their selfies have a way to share them quickly while cruising.
Millennials like to travel and have fun together.
Multi generational families traveling together introduce cruising to the next generation sooner.
Inclusive of meals, accommodations and activities,
cruising appeals to the young generation.
According
to
Wikipedia, there are no precise dates when the Millennial generation
starts and ends but they’re generally defined as having been born between the
early ‘80s and the early ‘00s. Also referred to as Generation Y, this group of
up-and-comers currently represent about 9 million of Canadians. Not since the
Baby Boomers has there been such a large percentage of consumers out there
spending money on everything, including travel. Is your agency ready to capture
this market?
Thankfully,
one trend in cruising is the proliferation of group and multi-generational
trips. With affluent Boomer grandparents buying trips for their kids and grand
kids, and weddings at sea becoming popular, Millennials are exposed to cruising
earlier than they might otherwise be, if at all. Let’s hope that once they get
a taste of cruising, they’ll continue to choose this form of vacation.
Cruise
lines certainly share the same mentality, by building new ships that wow,
offering shorter itineraries with all-inclusive options and providing accelerated
connectivity. In addition to who's got the most diverse bars, restaurants and
onboard activities, the battle also rages for the fastest internet and broadest
bandwidth at sea - something Millennials view as indispensable.
Another
attribute of Millennials is social awareness and their desire to give back to
the environment and communities, including the ones they visit while
travelling. Hence the development of specialized shore excursions, and
companies like Canrival's fathom brand - weaving voluntourism and social
economic immersion into their itineraries. Surely more cruise lines will follow
suit to provide these experiences to attract the next generation.
As
Millennials value their hard earned CAD, cruising is the perfect choice; and
with the myriad of perks and price points available, it satisfies every income
level while offering extraordinary experiences to young and impressionable
minds. I think back to my 1
st cruise and remember how amazed I was
to be served multi-course meals on sparkling place settings and attentive staff
waiting on me hand and foot. Millennials are also more likely to travel in
groups and are easily influenced by their peers - another opportunity to
generate more income for you.
So
as an agency, what can you do to go after this demographic? One of the best
ways is to include Millennials on staff. The immediate benefit is that they can
help with social media, but more importantly, Millennials can provide agency
owners valuable insight into their mentality and buying patterns. Understanding
what makes Millennials tick and how to market to those needs will be the key to
your success.
Travel
school students needing practicum experience, your young nieces or nephews
looking for after school work or high school kids looking for extra income are
good candidates. Employ them as your Social Media Specialist and engage them to
spread the word about cruising.
Keeping
abreast of the latest research and staying on top of Millennial lifestyle
trends is also important. Statistical and analytical reports are constantly
being published by reliable media sources on marketing strategies and retail
tips and techniques that can guide you in the right direction.
Millennials
may appear to be a different breed, but like all consumers, once you understand
their needs and offer them the right product, you will get them onboard
(literally) and hopefully cruising will go viral!
Ming
Tappin is a cruise veteran with over 20 years’ experience in the industry and
has sailed on 36 cruises and counting. Based in Vancouver, Ming is Owner of
Your Cruise Coach Consulting.
