Study - Sustainability or luxury? How Generation Z is changing travel
The youth of today is the future of tomorrow - this also applies to travel behavior. Every generation has its own peculiarities when it comes to vacation planning. Generation Z (people born between the mid-90s and mid-2010s) are often said to be particularly environmentally conscious and have a strong social conscience. But are young people really traveling more sustainably these days or are they shaping completely different trends in the travel industry? The online platform HolidayCheck has now found this out in a representative survey of 1,000 people aged 16 to 27 in October 2023 - and made some surprising discoveries.
According to the survey, environmental protection only plays a role for half of the respondents when choosing a travel destination. What is more important to them is that they have the feeling of experiencing an authentic and unique time on vacation - away from mass tourism. At least that's what 76 percent of respondents said. Furthermore, traveling alone is not at the top of the agenda for post-millennials; they prefer to discover the world together with friends, their partner or family.
Generation Z relies on social inspiration
However, the social environment should not only come along on trips, but also serves Generation Z as inspiration for the next trip. According to the survey, around half of 16 to 27-year-olds rely on the opinions of family members or friends when going on vacation. So if your best friend is absolutely not a fan of a trip to Majorca or a hiking vacation in Saxon Switzerland, then it probably won't end up at the top of your bucket list.
When it comes to travel influencers and online booking platforms, the digital generation is a little more skeptical, although not by much. For example, 44 percent of respondents stated that online platforms and social media also serve as travel inspiration, but travel influencers only represent a serious source of travel planning for one fifth. This is mainly due to their dubious credibility. For example, 70 percent have concerns about the independence of influencers.
As instagrammable as possible, please
This is despite the fact that 50 percent of digital natives become influencers themselves on vacation - and share their experiences with their community on Tiktok, Instagram and the like. To ensure that the content is as attractive as possible, a full 70 percent of them plan places in advance that are particularly "instagrammable", i.e. photogenic. A third of respondents even go so far as to say that the trip is only a success if they can also collect photos for social networks.
Overall, the survey shows that Generation Z is not necessarily more sustainable when traveling, but is under greater pressure from social media when planning their trips than other generations. Perhaps they can learn a thing or two from the old hands in the vacation business, put their smartphones aside and simply enjoy the moment. Not for a like from others, but simply for themselves.
Source: HolidayCheck
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- Despite their strong commitment to sustainability and social causes, only half of the Generation Z respondents in the HolidayCheck survey considered environmental factors when choosing a travel destination, preferring instead to seek authentic and unique experiences.
- Social media plays a significant role in influencing the travel plans of Generation Z, with 44% relying on online platforms and digital influencers for inspiration, although they express concerns about the credibility and independence of these sources.
- When it comes to documenting their travels on social media, 50% of Generation Z respondents plan and visit "instagrammable" locations, and 30% consider a trip successful only if they can collect photographs for their social networks.
Source: www.stern.de
