canadian multi-generational travel trends · terms of how you choose a vacation/ holiday and which...

Travel Habits and Behaviors of Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers

CANADIAN MULTI-GENERATIONAL

TRAVEL TRENDS

2

METHODOLOGY

ONLINE SURVEY

Sample Size | Total: n=1001

Canadian TravellersGeneration Z (n=256) Millennials (n=274)Generation X (n=275) Boomers (n=196)

Field Work30 March – 7 April 2017

Data Collection MethodQuantitative Survey

Qualifying Criteria

Must have booked online travel in the past year

Generation Z = 18-23Millennials = 24-35Generation X = 36-55Boomers = 55+

Generational Ages

HOW THEY TRAVEL

4

MILLENNIALS TAKE THE MOST TRIPSWhile Boomers are not travelling as frequently as other generations, they make up for it in trip length

2.6

3.1

2.8 2.7

8.2 8.57.5

10.5

Last Vacation Duration in Days

Q9: Typically, how many personal/leisure and business trips do you take per year?Q15. How long was your vacation?

Total Number of Trips Taken Per Year

Gen Z Millennials Gen X Boomers

5

ALL GENERATIONS PREFER TO TRAVEL BEYOND THEIR BORDERS Millennials and Boomers are especially fond of international vacations

Q14. Was the trip….?

45%

55%

Gen Z35%

65%

Millennials

41%

59%

Gen X

IN MY COUNTRY

38%

62%

Boomers

6Q10: What types of vacations have you taken in the past year?

VISITING FAMILY AND RELAXING VACATIONS ARE MOST POPULARAll generations travel to visit family, relax, and sightsee while Millennials and Gen X also travel for family play


52%

47%

42%

25%

16%

49%48%

44%

22%25%

49%

44%42%

20%

25%

51% 49%

39%

16%

11%

Visiting Family Relaxing Sight-seeing Special Event Family Play

Notable Generational Difference

7

29%22%

35%

27%

Canada

62%

71%

59%

68%

Canada

TRANSPORTATION IS CONSISTENT ACROSS GENERATIONSAll generations prefer to take to the skies, although Gen X will also hit the road

Q16. How did you get to your destination?

Plane

2% 3% 2% 2%

US

Car Ride Train



8

ALL GENERATIONS PREFER HOTEL STAYSBoomers show a slight preference than other generations for staying at a resort

54%

18%14%

7%

56%

18%14%

8%

60%

16%12%

7%

45%

15%19%

7%

Hotel With Family / Friends Resort Alternative Accommodations

Q17. Where did you stay on your last trip?

Gen Z Millennials Gen X Boomers Notable Generational Difference

9

All generations spend almost half on hotel and flight

Q18. Was budget a primary factor when you were researching/ booking your last trip?Q20. What proportion of your travel budget did you spend on each of the following?


Proportion Spent On

Flight 25%

Hotel 24%

Food 17%

Transportation 12%

Attractions 10%

Shopping 9%

Home sharing 2%

Other 3%

Proportion Spent On

Hotel 26%

Flight 25%

Food 16%

Attractions 10%

Transportation 9%

Shopping 9%

Home sharing 4%

Other 2%

Proportion Spent on

Hotel 27%

Flight 23%

Food 17%

Transportation 10%

Attractions 9%

Shopping 8%

Home sharing 3%

Other 3%

Proportion Spent on

Hotel 27%

Flight 24%

Food 17%

Transportation 8%

Shopping 8%

Attractions 7%

Other 6%

Home sharing 4%

82%

Yes

No

Budget a Primary Factor?

74%

Yes

No

69%

Yes

No

67%

Yes

No

YOUNGER TRAVELLERS MORE APT TO BUDGET

10

YOUNGER GENERATIONS BOOKED VACATION MOST RECENTLY

Q7: When was the last time you booked travel on a travel website for a personal vacation/holiday?


39%

23%18% 21%

38%

24% 25%

13%

39%

19% 20% 21%

31%

19%26% 24%

Less than 3 months ago 3-5 months ago 6 months ago A year ago

Boomers are planners and Millennials are least likely to have booked a year ago

Last Time Booked Travel

TRAVELLER ATTITUDES AND

INFLUENCES

12

13%6% 7% 8%

YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE MORE DESTINATION INDECISIVE


Don’t have a destination in mind

Deciding between 2 or more destinations

Have already decided on a destination

55% 60% 55%43% 33% 34% 38%

49%

Q23. Which of the following options best describes the way you feel when you first decide to take a trip? (Please select one)

All generations, even Boomers, are deciding between multiple destinations

13

OTAs AND SEARCH ENGINES ARE LEADING

PLANNING RESOURCES

Q35. Please indicate all of the resources you used when you planned your last trip? (Please select all that apply)


47%

52%

41% 42%

33%

26%

47%

52%

41% 42%

33%

26%

54%50%

42%

37% 38%

25%

57%

51%

46%

38% 37%

27%

Online Travel Agency Search Engines Travel Review Sites Discussed withFamily/Friends

Comparison Travel Sites Hotel Sites

14

OTAs CONVERT THE MOST TRAVELLERS ACROSS GENERATIONS

Q38: Please indicate which resources you used to book travel online on your last trip


46%

24%21%

11%7%

13%

55%

31%

21%

16%

8% 9%

53%

27%

21%

10% 11%9%

52%

42%

30%

10%

16%

10%

Online Travel Agency Airline Sites Hotel Sites AlternativeAccommodation Sites

Car Rental Sites Destination Sites

Boomers looked more to airline, hotel, and car rental sites to book travel


15

VALUE AND EXPLORATION DRIVE TRAVELLER SENTIMENT‘You only live once’ opportunities also rank high in consideration

Q8 Please select to what extent you agree with the following statements. (Please select strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree or strongly agree for each statement)

Percent of Travellers Who Somewhat Agree/Strongly Agree With The Statement

94% 84% 81%66% 66%

93% 82% 80%70% 71%

96%77% 73% 67% 69%

93%71%

57% 62% 59%

I look for the best deals and mostvalue for my dollar

I'll go anywhere that allows me toexplore the outdoors and be active

You only live once, so taking risks andcrossing things off my 'bucket list' is

imperative

I often opt for "off the beaten path"locations and/or recommendations

from locals

I prefer to go to museums, historicalsites and arts & culture fill up my

travel itinerary

63% 64% 56%

25%

61% 62% 58%

31%

64% 59%

44%31%

46% 49%

31% 26%

Every vacation is family oriented and has aspecific focus on what will keep my family

entertained and happy

I'm all about taking a nap on the beach, spatreatments and all-day relaxation

I plan all my travel around where and what I eatand drink

I don't like travelling far, as long as I'm not atwork, I'm on vacation


16For this exercise, you will go through a small number of different screens where we will ask you to identify which consideration would be most important to you in terms of how you choose a vacation/ holiday and which consideration would be least important to you in terms of how you choose to purchase a vacation/holiday.


WHEN PRIORITIZING, ACTIVITIES AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCES DRIVE TRAVEL DECISIONS

205

141

162175

156

127

199

156 162 159152

122

194

173160

143 139

122

216

175160

146 146

118

Activities I will be doing on mytrip

Deals and/or special offers Lowest Price A once in a lifetime experience The cultural experience My food experience

17Q28. Which of the following social media sites influence or inspire your decision making process in booking a trip? (Please select all that apply)


FACEBOOK INFLUENTIAL IN TRAVEL DECISIONS FOR YOUNGER GENERATIONS

55% 54%

23%

14%18%

3%

18%

57%

32%

16% 15%

5%

0%

30%

43%

17%

11% 12%

4% 3%

50%

28%

8% 9%

2%0%

2%

65%

Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter Snapchat Other Not Influenced by SocialMedia

Boomers claim social media has little influence on travel booking decisions


18

DEALS AND REVIEWS CAN HELP TRAVELLERS CONVERT Destination content closely follows in influencing travellers

Q32. Please select to what extent you agree with the following statements. (Please select one for each statement)

80%

52% 47%

77%56% 56%

70%55% 48%

62%52% 51%

I talk to people who have visited the place beforemaking a decision

Ads can be influential in my decision making process I use loyalty programs in my decision making process

93%

84%

79%

90%

85%

80%

91%

85%82%

93%

83%80%

I look for deals before making a decision I read reviews of places I want to visit from sites likeTripAdvisor before making my final decision

Informative content from destinations and/or travelbrands can influence my decision making process


19

61%

50%

39%

30%

11%

56%

48%

40%

22%

12%

52%

45% 45%

30%

16%

53%

41%

58%

42%

15%

The deals advertised lookappealing

The imagery in the ad looksappealing

The content in the ad isinformative

The ad includes helpful reviews None of the above

EFFECTIVE ADS FEATURE RELEVANT DEALS,

INFORMATIVE CONTENT, AND APPEALING IMAGERY

Q33. How can ads help influence in your decision making process? (Select all that apply)


20

41% 37%19%

7%

DESKTOPS DOMINATE THE PATH, SMARTPHONES IN TRIP

Q47. For each of the following statements, which device(s) do you use? Please select all that apply.Total (n=8006) UK (n=1001) Germany (n=1000) France (n=1002) China (n=1000) Japan (n=1001) Australia (n=1000) Canada (n=1001) US (n=1001)

58% 46%23% 9%

When I’m looking for inspiration on where to travel

When I’m researching on where to travel

21% 20% 11% 4%

When I’m booking the travel

82% 71% 61%46%During my trip

71% 76% 84% 93%

80% 81%88%

96%

88% 88%91%

95%

35% 34%38% 40%

Smartphone Desktop/Laptop


Compared to other generations, Baby Boomers travel the most (28 days a year) and nearly half have already decided on a destination when they decide to take a trip.

They are more likely to take an international getaway than stay within their own borders and are also quite adventurous once they get to their destination. Boomers are less likely than other generations to stay with family or friends, but are more likely to stay in a resort.

KEY INSIGHTS FOR CANADIAN GENERATIONS

Gen Z Millennials

Travel 26 days a year and prefer to explore international destinations, as they are most likely to travel beyond their borders.

Tackling their bucket list, #YOLO experiences, and finding off the beaten path locations are important to Millennials, but they also look to fill their itinerary with museums, historical sites, and arts and culture more than other generations.

Gen X Boomers

Travel 21 days a year, choose hotel stays more than any other generation, and are most likely to travel by car.

More than 50 percent turn to OTAs for planning and booking, and they prioritize activities, deals and the lowest price when booking a trip

Travel 21 days a year, and although they have a budget in mind when planning a trip, they are the most open-minded when it comes to destination inspiration. They rely on search engines and online travel agencies (OTAs) for planning and booking

They prioritize activities and once in a lifetime experiences, and rank highest in the #YOLO mindset and going places where they can explore the outdoors and be active.

22

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gen Z Visit Family, Sightsee, and Prefer Outdoor Exploration

Destination Indecisive Millennials Prioritize Activities and Price

Gen X Likes Consistency: They Are the Most Likely Generation to Drive to a Destination and Choose Hotel Stays

Baby Boomers Are Decisive, Less Budget Conscious and Not Influenced by Social Media

canadian multi-generational travel trends · terms of how you choose a vacation/ holiday and which...

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