Expedia Media Solutions has reported results of an online survey designed to identify the current digital travel trends by generation of consumers in the UK, Germany and France.

Methodology:

• Qualifying criterion: Booked travel online in the past year
• Generational segmentation: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers
• Sample size: 3003
• Survey: Quantitative
• Data collected: 30 March - 7 April 2017

Some key findings:

• Respondents reported having taken an average of 2.6 leisure trips in the past year, with only slight variations among countries (range of 2.4 to 2.7 trips).
• Most important motivations for trips:
  1. Relaxation
  2. Sightseeing
  3. Visiting family
  4. Family play
  5. Romantic getaway
• Significant differences among countries:
  • Germans were more likely to take trips for relaxation.
  • British and French respondents were more likely to travel for sightseeing.
  • French respondents were (much) more likely to travel for family play.
• Average holiday duration reported was more than 9 days - range 7.9 (UK) to 10.2 (FR) days.
• Air travel predominated (vs. car or train) for all countries - range 54% (FR) to 65% (UK).
• Hotels were the preferred accommodation for respondents from all countries - range 51% (FR) to 67% (UK).
• The majority of respondents from all countries reported taking their last trip to another country - range 56% (FR) to 72% (DE).
• Respondents from all countries tended to say that budget was a significant consideration in trip planning/booking - range 59% (DE) to 77% (FR).
• Top 3 expense items across countries were:
  1. Lodging
  2. Airfare
  3. Food

Generational differences:

• Millennials took the most leisure trips (but not by much): 2.8 vs. 2.5-2.6 for the other generations.
• Significant generational differences in trip motivation:
  • Boomers were most likely to travel for sightseeing (48% vs. 43%-45%).
  • Millennials were most likely to travel for family play (35% vs. 10%-26%) and romantic getaways (33% vs. 18%-24%).
• Boomers reported taking significantly longer trips (10.5 days vs. 8.5-9.3 days).
• Most frequently mentioned trip-planning resources (>30% average mention) were:
  • OTAs (42%-54%)
  • Search engines (46% - 51%)
  • Travel Review sites (36% - 41%)
  • Meta search sites (30% - 39%)
• Boomers and Gen X tended to most prefer OTAs for planning.
• Most frequently mentioned booking sources (>30% average mention) were:
  • OTAs (43% - 52%)
  • Search engines (30% - 43%)
• Gen X tended to most prefer OTAs for booking.
• Boomers were significantly more likely to travel by car (31% vs 21% - 27%).
• Gen Z were significantly more likely to stay with family/friends (16% vs. 8% - 11%).
• Across generations, respondents chose international travel over domestic (64% - 67%).
• Budget was a bigger consideration for Gen Z (79%) and Millennials (73%) vs. Gen X (64%) and Boomers (54%).
• Top 3 trip expense items across generations were the same as for the population overall.
• Across generations (79% to 89%), most prevalent attitude toward travel was "I look for the best deal and most value."
• Significant attitude differences among generations were: Gen Z and Millennials were more likely to agree that "You only live once, so taking risks and crossing things off my bucket list is imperative" and "I'm all about taking a nap on the beach, spa treatments and all-day relaxation."
• Across the entire sample population, significantly most important considerations in choice of holiday reported were:
  1. Activities
  2. Once-in-a-lifetime experience
  3. Cultural experience
• Significant generational differences in drivers of holiday choice:
  • Boomers most often named "Activities" and "My food experience."
  • Gen Z most often named "Once-in-a-lifetime experience," "Going somewhere where I can take memorable pictures" and "A place where I can vacation with friends."
• When first deciding to take a trip:
  • Boomers are most likely to have already decided on a destination - 41% vs. 23%-29%.
  • Millennials are most likely to be deciding among 2 or more destinations (62% vs. 48%-59%).
  • Gen Z are most likely not to have any destination at all in mind initially (18% vs. 11%-15%).
• Reported need for trip-planning help:
  • 51% of Boomers said they don't need help.
  • 66% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials said they may need some help and inspiration.
  • 7% of Gen Z and 6% of Millennials said they would need lots of help.
• Reported most important influences on booking decision (top 3):
  • "I see a deal or promotion" - 42% (Gen Z) - 55% (Boomers), average 47%
  • "Travel pictures posted by my friends" - 29% (Boomers) - 46% (Gen Z), average 42%
  • "Travel pictures posted by experts" - 41% (Gen Z) - 46% (Boomers),average 42%
• Reported most influential reviews and content (> 70% average):
  • "Reviews from sites like TripAdvisor" - 75% (Boomers) - 85% (Gen X), average 81%
  • "Content from destinations and/or travel brands" - 72% (gen Z) - 80% (Gen X), average 76%
  • "I look for deals before making a decision" - 72% (Boomers) - 79% (Millennials), average 75%.
• Influence of deals and imagery in ads:
  • "Deal in ad looks appealing": significantly more often mentioned by Gen Z (53%) and Millennials (51%) vs. average 48%
  • "Imagery in ad looks appealing": significantly more often mentioned by Gen Z (53%), Millennials (53%) and Gen X (51%) vs. average 48%. (66% of Boomers aren't impressed.)
  • "Content of ad is informative": significantly more often mentioned by Boomers (49%) vs. average 43%
• Generational trends in device use were similar at all phases of the planning/booking process:
  • Gen Z most preferred to use smartphones
  • Boomers most preferred to use desktops or laptops.
  • Device preferences of Millennials and Gen X were intermediate.
  • Tablet use was low across both generations and planning/booking phases (max 36% by Boomers during trip).

So: what useful things can we do with these data?

Let's identify some actionable pieces of information:

• Europeans (UK, DE, FR) take a lot of long leisure trips (2.6 trips/year and duration of more than 9 days on average).
• Any destination with airline connections has the potential to enter the market for European leisure travelers.
• Unsurprisingly, budget is an important consideration in Europeans' trip planning, so you need to demonstrate value.
• Depending on your business sector, you need a (favorable) online presence in OTA, search-engine. travel-review and/or meta-search sites.
• Getting the best deal trumps all other considerations across countries and generations.
• Since 41% of Boomers have already decided on a destination before beginning to plan a trip, and 51% of them say they need no planning help, to get those people airlines and hotels need to be top-of-mind at that point in the planning process; it's too late for competing destinations.
• When just beginning to plan a trip, most Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X are susceptible to persuasion in choosing a destination, and tend to be in need of planning help or inspiration, making them the markets of greatest potential for destinations.
• Gen Z is strongly influenced by travel pictures posted by friends - so if you have a product that appeals to this segment - and they can afford it - you need a strong presence in social media. The same is true for Millennials, of which there are more. Don't outsource this - young people aren't stupid.
• Across generations, you'll benefit from competent professional photography on your Web site and in ads.
• Also across generations, you needs lots of favorable reviews - on TripAdvisor, Google, etc. - as well as informative content in all your marketing collateral. Don't do bogus reviews - you'll get caught.
• You need to be visible and reachable in mobile devices, especially for younger prospects. If you're a restaurant, attraction, retail store or local tour, this is key for reaching prospects already at your destination.
• Everyone is influenced by deals in ads, but Boomers (55%) more than most - significant especially for airlines and hotels, and at the destination.
• Europeans of Gen X and younger are influenced by appealing imagery in ads. That means the subjects of the imagery, not just the photographic quality. Subject matter needs to appeal to your target demographic(s).
• Boomers, on the other hand, are a lot more interested in the content of ads - aka well-written copy - than in pretty pictures. Don't disappoint them.