About the survey: Expedia®, world’s largest full service online travel agency, released the results of the Generational Study, a report exploring the travel preferences and behavior of consumers across multiple generations. The report also highlights online travel searching and booking habits and critical details that influence travel consumer trends and action. The study suggests that over than 85% of Indians have personally booked travel online (Boomer: 85%, Gen X: 86%, Millennial: 90, Gen Z: 70%) in the last year.
Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia in India said, “Travel is becoming a crucial part of life, especially with the younger generations- Millennials and Gen Z. While 61% of Gen Z are willing to get a part-time job to save money to go on a leisure trip, 91% Millennials save money for travel. Travel is not just a getaway, but also a time for self-reflection and introspection. No wonder the statistics suggest that 71% of millennials travelled alone last year”.
“We are also witnessing the older generations catching up with the online marketplaces. They are getting more and more comfortable with online purchases, be it fashion, home furnishings or travel. The study points out that 86% Gen X and 85% Boomers personally booked travel online in the past year,” he added.
DETAILED FINDINGS:
TRAVELER PROFILE & BEHAVIOR
· More than 85% of Indians have personally booked online travel in the past year. Married people of all ages, particularly those with children, are the sweet spot for booking travel.
o Boomer: 85%, Gen X: 86%, Millennial: 90%, Gen Z: 70%
o Married: 91% and Non Married: 78%
o With Kids: 87% and Without Kids: 80%
· Saving for travel is a top priority, especially for Millennials while Gen Z is the least likely to implement this into their budget. Overall 83% save money for travel with 69% Gen Z, 91% Millennials, 80% Gen X and 75% Boomers saving money for travel.
· There is higher propensity to spend extra money on experiences over products
o Experiences: Gen Z- 57%, Millennials – 63%, Gen X- 62%, Boomers – 63%, Total-61%
o Products: Gen Z- 43%, Millennials – 37%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers – 37%, Total-39%
· Interestingly 70% Baby Boomers, 74% of Gen X, and 81% of Millennials are willing to spend half or more of 1,000,000 rupees on leisure travel, while 77% of Gen Z would allocate half or less to travel.
o All: Gen Z- 5%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 10%, Boomers- 8%
o None: Gen Z- 11%, Millennials- 1%, Gen X- 3%, Boomers- 29%
· Preferred type of leisure travel experience
o Connections (Spending time with loved ones): Gen Z- 74%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 78%, Boomers- 80%
o Adventure (Exploring, meeting new people, trying new things): Gen Z- 76%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 69%, Boomers- 66%
o Relaxation (unwind, de-stress, sleep in): Gen Z- 68%, Millennials- 82%, Gen X- 74%, Boomers- 70%
o Traditional (site-seeing): Gen Z- 65%, Millennials- 78%, Gen X- 81%, Boomers- 81%
o Living like a local (unique experiences such as one-of-a-kind events, restaurants, etc.): Gen Z- 62%, Millennials-71%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 66%
· Most common reason for leisure travel
o Getaway (leisure trip or vacation): Gen Z- 40%, Millennials-47%, Gen X- 61%, Boomers- 59%
o Friend or family-related visits: Gen Z- 44%, Millennials-32%, Gen X- 31%, Boomers- 39%
o Holiday (Republic Day, Christmas): Gen Z- 38%, Millennials-40%, Gen X- 25%, Boomers- 12%
o Cultural (exploring a new area): Gen Z- 25%, Millennials- 34%, Gen X- 35%, Boomers- 35%
o Pilgrimage or religious travel: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials-14%, Gen X- 23%, Boomers- 31%
· Average amount of time spent on a typical leisure trip (including travel time)
o 2 Days (Weekends): Gen Z- 23%, Millennials-14%, Gen X- 10%, Boomers- 7%
o 3-5 Days (Long Weekend): Gen Z- 32%, Millennials-34%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers- 33%
o 1 Week: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials-26%, Gen X- 30%, Boomers- 28%
o 10 Days – 2 Weeks: Gen Z- 10%, Millennials-19%, Gen X- 14%, Boomers- 25%
· While overall 36% Indians travelled alone last year, a staggering 71% of millennials travelled alone. Boomers and Gen X split their travel time evenly between travelling with others and alone.
[Gen Z- 62%, Millennials- 71%, Gen X- 47%, Boomers- 50% ]
· Company on leisure trip (usually or always)
o Spouse: Gen Z- 14%, Millennials- 60%, Gen X- 73%, Boomers- 84%, Total – 53%
o Family Members: Gen Z- 50%, Millennials- 52%, Gen X- 36%, Boomers- 29%, Total – 47%
o Child(ren): Gen Z- 12%, Millennials- 51%, Gen X- 68%, Boomers- 51%, Total – 44%
o Significant other: Gen Z- 18%, Millennials- 43%, Gen X- 38%, Boomers- 45%, Total – 36%
· Travel cost split for leisure trips last year: Spouse
o We pay together: Boomer – 11%, Gen X – 18%, Millennials – 17%, Gen Z- 8%
o Partner pay for them: Boomer – 61%, Gen X – 37%, Millennials – 35%, Gen Z- 11%
· Travel cost split for leisure trips last year: Friends
o We pay for our own individual costs: Boomer – 31%, Gen X – 21%, Millennials – 37%, Gen Z- 25%
o We pay together: Boomer – 30%, Gen X – 36%, Millennials – 37%, Gen Z- 47%
SEARCH AND BOOKING TRAVEL
· 84% Indian travelers think it is helpful to be able to book all travel and hotel accommodations on one website. Generational Preference: Gen Z- 77%, Millennials- 85%, Gen X- 86%, Boomers- 89%
· Preferred way to book leisure travel and accommodations
o Online travel agency website: Gen Z- 50%, Millennials- 59%, Gen X- 45%, Boomers- 59%
o Visit websites separately: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 16%, Gen X- 14%, Boomers- 20%
o Talk to or work with a travel agent: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials- 12%, Gen X- 26%, Boomers- 13%
· Saving between 20% – 29% is the sweet spot (minimum savings required) necessary for half of travelers to book flight and hotels together
· Factors to absolutely choose an online travel agency website over an individual website when booking transportation and/or accommodations for a leisure trip:
o Best price available/guaranteed: Gen Z- 28%, Millennials- 36%, Gen X- 42%, Boomers- 53%
o Excellent customer service: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 29%, Gen X- 29%, Boomers- 28%
o Free cancellation on hotels: Gen Z- 23%, Millennials- 17%, Gen X- 24%, Boomers- 18%
o Cash back offers: Gen Z- 24%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 13%
o Discount coupons on hotels: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials- 14%, Gen X- 15%, Boomers- 10%
· Primary motivating factors when selecting the details of a leisure trip:
o Best Deal (By Total): Airline Flight: 60%, Hotel: 60%, Rental Car: 54%, Restaurants or bars: 39%, Sightseeing or activity: 29%, Cruise: 22%
o Best Experience (By Total): Sightseeing or activity: 61%, Restaurants or bars: 39%, Cruise: 32%, Hotel: 32%, Rental car: 24%, Airline Flight: 22%
· Advance flight and accommodation bookings for leisure trip:
o 0-14 Days: Gen Z- 42%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 20%, Baby Boomers- 14%
o 15-30 Days: Gen Z- 28%, Millennials- 38%, Gen X- 31%, Baby Boomers- 30%
o 30-60 Days: Gen Z- 17%, Millennials- 35%, Gen X- 34%, Baby Boomers- 39%
o 60-90 Days: Gen Z- 6%, Millennials- 5%, Gen X- 9%, Baby Boomers- 14%
o Over 90 Days: Gen Z- 8%, Millennials- 4%, Gen X- 6%, Baby Boomers- 4%
ONLINE TRAVEL BOOKING INFLUENCES
· Important features for booking accommodations for a leisure trip on an online travel website are Clear Pricing: 86%, Easily accessible information: 85%, Online Reviews: 82%, Online Ratings: 81%, Website easy to navigate: 78%
· Top conditions that would absolutely prevent you from booking a hotel online
o Lack of information about the hotel, rooms, or amenities: Gen Z- 40%, Millennials- 37%, Gen X- 44%, Boomers- 47%
o Multiple poor online reviews: Gen Z- 39%, Millennials- 36%, Gen X- 37%, Boomers- 42%
o Pricing that is notably different than similar hotels in the area: Gen Z- 26%, Millennials- 33%, Gen X- 35%, Boomers- 36%
o Not enough or poor quality online photos of the hotel, rooms, or amenities: Gen Z- 27%, Millennials- 20%, Gen X- 25%, Boomers- 21%
o If it takes too long to complete the online booking process: Gen Z- 16%, Millennials- 25%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 19%
· Good hotel reviews are an absolute necessity, nearly 1/3 of all travelers say that a hotel must have good reviews in order for them to stay there. The other conditions include:
o Good Hotel Reviews: Gen Z- 24%, Millennials- 30%, Gen X- 40%, Boomers- 31%
o Restaurants with good reviews: Gen Z- 22%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 17%, Boomers- 20%
o Room Service: Gen Z- 21%, Millennials- 18%, Gen X- 13%, Boomers- 16%
o Wi-Fi: Gen Z- 15%, Millennials- 10%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 6%
· What would you do to go on a trip?
o 61% of Gen Z would get a part-time job to save money to go on a leisure trip
o 42% of Gen Z would stay off the Internet for a week in order to go on a trip
o 52% of Millennials would take on an odd job or freelance work to go on a leisure trip
o 48% of Millennials have postponed a breakup with a significant other in order to still go on a planned trip
· Social media plays a huge part in gen z and millennial travel decisions
o 66% of Millennials have posted a potential travel trip on social media to get the opinion of their friends and family before booking a trip.
o 62% of Gen Z have chosen a destination, flight, hotel, or car rental because they saw it on social media
o 47% of Gen Z have chosen a hotel room or leisure trip destination so they could get a positive response on social media.
· The majority of all generations feel obligated to send a text to a significant other or family member but over 80% of Millennials feel this pressure.
o Yes: Gen Z- 65%, Millennials- 81%, Gen X- 70%, Boomers- 74%
o No: Gen Z- 35%, Millennials- 19%, Gen X- 30%, Boomers- 26%
· Last person you text before you have to turn off wi-fi on the plane?
o Spouse: Gen Z- 4%, Millennials- 35%, Gen X- 32%, Boomers- 44%, Total- 28%
o Mom: Gen Z- 25%, Millennials- 20%, Gen X- 20%, Boomers- 7%, Total- 20%
o Friend: Gen Z- 36%, Millennials- 17%, Gen X- 12%, Boomers- 9%, Total- 20%
o Dad: Gen Z- 15%, Millennials- 10%, Gen X- 7%, Boomers- 4%, Total- 10%
Methodology
The study was jointly led by Expedia and The Center for Generational Kinetics and administered to 1,250 Indian respondents ages 18-65 including a 250-person oversample of Gen Z ages 18-21. Gen Z is defined as those born 1996 and after, Millennials are defined as those born between 1977 and 1995, Gen X is defined as those born between 1965 and 1976, and Baby Boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. The sample was weighted to the current census data for age, gender, and region. The survey was conducted online from August 8, 2017 to August 17, 2017 and has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points.
About Expedia:
Expedia is world’s largest full service online travel agency with localized sites in 33 countries. Expedia is a one-stop solution for all travel needs, with a comprehensive and distinctive suite of travel with 25000+ holiday activities, 500+ airlines, 500,000 properties and 40M+ post-stay reviews and 30M+ real-time reviews . Expedia in India helps consumers book flights, hotels, flight + hotel, car rentals and tourist attractions, all supported by a call center in India. Also Expedia loyalty program, Expedia+, besides earning points on bookings, allows consumers amenities like room upgrade, spa discounts, breakfast, wi-fi and more. For more information, visit- https://www.expedia.co.in/ or Download the app.
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