Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, is likely to completely reshape the travel industry, according to a recent report from Morning Consult.
Already, 52 per cent of Gen Z adults are frequent travellers, meaning they took at least three leisure trips in the last year, which is the same rate as Millennials. It is also significantly more travel than Gen X or baby boomer travellers, despite the typically higher earnings of older generations.
Spending
Gen Z travellers tend to come from much lower-earning households than previous generations as well: 61 per cent of frequent Gen Z travellers came from households earning less than USD $50,000. Members of older generations have typically waited until they are earning much more - usually around USD $100,000 per household - before becoming frequent travellers, indicating that Gen Z is looking for ways to travel right away. Instead, they appear to find ways to fit travel into their current budgets and do not view travel as a discretionary expense the way older generations do.
Destinations
They also prefer longer trips to new destinations, as young travellers say they are more motivated by a desire for adventure and mental health rather than visiting people, relaxing, or just leaving their normal environment.
Gen Z is the only generation that says it is more likely to visit a new location than one they have been to before. It is also the only generation with 15 per cent of its members saying their next leisure trip will be longer than two weeks, which itself opens up the range of destinations for Gen Z travellers.
At the same time, Gen Z travellers still do not mind structured trips, with 52 per cent saying they are planning to go to a resort and 55 per cent to a theme park.
Sustainability
Gen Z travellers are also looking for sustainable travel options, according to research from Telus International. 56 per cent of Gen Z travellers said in 2019 that they want environmentally-friendly accommodations, and 60 per cent said they want sustainable travel options as well. 54 per cent said they were willing to pay more for environmental benefits.
Inclusivity
Gen Z travellers tend to come from urban environments than previous generations, meaning they are used to navigating cities and have little challenge adapting to a new urban location.
The generation is likely to be much more racially diverse than other travellers. The generation as a whole is already more diverse than older generations, and non-white Gen Zers tend to travel at a disproportionate rate on top of that. They expect travel to reflect their own diversity.
As with many other issues, Gen Zers have a much lower degree of trust in the travel industry than their older peers. The Morning Consult report found that brands need to focus on accessibility and inclusivity to attract Gen Z travellers.
According to the report, finding ways to reflect these desires and providing travel options for people who have often been left out will go a long way to appealing to the next generation of travellers.
