Oh, the places you’ll post! Marketing to the next generation of travellers

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by Anna Munhin Mar 24, 2023 News
Oh, the places you’ll post! Marketing to the next generation of travellers

Noa is the VP Brand and Communications at Bookaway Group.

Travel destination posts on social media are more authentic and accessible than ever before. It's unsurprising that travellers are choosing their destinations here. 84 percent of Gen Z travellers are likely to plan a trip based on someone else's vacation photos and social media updates.

Friends and family are still the most popular source of guidance for travellers, but social media is catching up with traditional outlets.

The travel industry will need to evolve as younger generations become more of a buying demographic. The industry can best market to this growing group of travelers.

The first true digital natives have grown up researching their travel needs on their own. A study by Arrivia found that 60 percent of Gen Z and 40 percent of millennials use social media for travel purposes, while another study found that nearly six in 10 Gen Z travellers rely on their phones for travel planning.

Travel businesses and tourist-reliant destinations should invest in a social media presence to widen their customer base. Should more of a focus be put on social media? Is it better for consumers to be orchestrated promotional campaigns or for someone to look into a destination? Anyone trying to reach out to this sector should ask these questions.

Gen Z'ers are more likely to be interested in video advertisements for travel and products. The Tik-Tokification of the internet has given video content newfound significance as a form of communication and self- expression.

Building trust is dependent on different tactics being used to appeal to different groups. Older travellers may still trust the star rating in a guidebook more than recommendations by strangers on the internet, but next generation travellers have realized that no advertisement can provide the same insights as a friend or a friendly internet celeb. Today's consumers, young and old, don't trust ads because they understand how advertising can be engineered to earn brand loyalty Consumers trust what they can relate to.

User Generated Content, also known as UCG, is content shared organically by individual users rather than by brands or through paid placement. Eighty-six percent of all respondents said that they became interested in a specific destination after seeing user-generated content on social media, and 92 percent of Gen Z said the same. Almost half of the audience said that online content from a celebrity sparked their interest in a destination.

The microinfluencer is an individual with a social media presence of up to 50,000 followers. Members of the group with a modest but visible standing are often seen as more authentic, trustworthy and reliable by the average consumer.

Young travellers don't want to miss out on any trends due to their awareness of culture and media. The next generation invests a lot in getting ahead of the curve and discovering new things before their peers do.

In the case of travel, that means off-the-beaten-path experiences have more appeal than classic tourist destinations, and more than eight in 10 American Gen Z and Millennial travellers are looking for a unique experience for their next trip. The next generation of travellers will chooseential tourism, which emphasizes engagement with a location's history, culture, people, food, and environment. Travelers want to explore small towns, hike, engage with locals, and understand the culture of an area in a more intimate and authentic way. Out-of-the-box experiences are more accessible thanks to social media. You are going to post the places. Since the advent of commercial aviation, the industry has been affected by the rise of social media. It is important for marketers to reflect on the changes in how they target travelers.

In a world where travel is as much about the journey as it is about the destination, it's important for businesses to use user generated content and other forms of marketing to facilitate organic, authentic insights over vague, broadly targeted messaging. Young travellers know that the world is their oyster and how you show them the pearl is the most important thing.