When discussing and trying to understand consumer travel behaviour, we all love to study different age groups such as Gen X, Baby Boomers, Millennial, etc—trying to understand them and cater to them separately in order to provide a better travelling experience to each segment.
But what if they decided to travel together? We call this Multigenerational Travel, which brings different generations in a family together for one vacation.
Families often plan these vacations to get together and spend time with each other and to create long-lasting memories with their family members.
This has been an upcoming trend in recent years, and today it seems like there are more reasons to have a family trip planned due to the recent pandemic lockdowns. The pandemic has forced families to stay apart. The older generation has been sitting at home for more than a year now. That is why a family “reunion” is much needed to reconnect with our loved ones, not to mention destination weddings contributing to this trend.
While there are still concerns regarding older age groups, families are most likely looking to book a trip in 2021 and well into 2022 as vaccination counts increase and people feel safe to travel.
Genealogy Tourism, a chance to explore the family’s roots, heritage and culture in a destination, will be a popular trend among these family trips and with more discretionary income to spend, grandparents are more likely to sponsor the trip for the entire family.
Where to go?
Families will mostly prefer international travel; Genealogical tourism will take them back to their roots, which could be anywhere in the world! However, that will depend on the COVID-19 guideline of the destination. Inbound travel will be an alternative until destinations are fully opened up. Still, destinations closer to home, such as the Caribbean, will be among popular demand.
How to get there?
Road trips in your own vehicle will still be considered the safest way to travel. However, there will be plenty of air travel bookings for families looking to have an international trip. Custom tour operators and travel agencies will have plenty of opportunities to arrange private guided tours, private chauffeured vehicles and private rental vans for self-drives.
Where to stay?
Many multi-gen travellers prefer to have their own private space, and many wouldn’t want to leave the property. That is why villas, cottages and all-inclusive resorts with outdoor spaces will be in popular demand. Also, hotels with a variety of room types and bigger rooms (suites) will be the first option for these travellers.
What to do?
Multi-gen travellers will be looking for different activities that cater to each age group. Outdoor activities like theme parks or hiking trails children would enjoy or maybe just a place to disconnect and relax like a spa or to spend the day by the pool.
So how can the travel industry fully benefit from these upcoming trends?
The good news is, the travel industry can still rely on online marketing since the parents, (not the grandparents or children) will be the ones eventually booking the family trip for everyone. Regardless, different age groups are using social media platforms now, where you can easily leverage your online marketing efforts.
Travel agencies should search for partners that provide family-friendly services and make sure to research their safety protocols to understand what they offer to entertain all family members while making sure they feel safe.
Free cancellations and rebooking policies are some of the main offers families will look for. Many major tour operators are already offering these services to travellers.
In the end, the travel industry (hotels, travel agencies, airlines, etc.) must use this time to invest and improve their online presence (website, social media, digital marketing) to communicate clearly with customers to gain their trust about booking with them.
At Radonic+, we specialize in digital marketing, online digital campaigns, digital e-newsletters and web design and development for the travel industry.