According to recent research, tourists—millennials (Reference: the generation of people born after 1980, who met the new millennium at a young age, characterized by deep involvement in digital technologies) are increasingly turning towards traditional tourist services.
According to the latest Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance Economy Index, 531,333 Americans said they either will not use sharing economy services at all or are unlikely to do so when planning their summer trips in 2018. This is despite Americans considering the sharing economy more convenient for authentic experiences and easier on family wallets.
The data shows that This category of tourists, once considered the main target audience for the private sector, is moving to another segment and are turning towards traditional tourism services, including hotels, tour operators, travel agencies.
This year, according to recent research, American travelers are increasingly choosing traditional services because they offer better products, easy booking, and customer support.
According to Allianz, one-third of travelers surveyed said traditional services provide the best overall experience. This figure has increased from 22% in 2017 to 29% this year.
In addition, survey respondents believe that traditional services provide better customer support (38% percent).
"We're seeing this trend for the first time in recent years. Millennials value the quality and authentic local experiences offered by the sharing economy, while also enjoying the product and overall experience offered by traditional services. Travel providers vying for this market this year must capitalize on their strengths and try to address their weaknesses," said Daniel Durazo, Director of Communications at Allianz Global Assistance, commenting on the results of the study.
So what does this mean for hoteliers and other traditional travel industry players? According to MMGY Global analysts, the time has come to take advantage. While all other generations reported that their travel spending will remain the same or decrease in the coming years, Millennials indicated an increase.
Thus, families of this category of tourists reported that next year, 2019, they intend to spend more money on vacation than this year.
Let's clarify: the research was conducted on the American market. However, these trends should be kept in mind by representatives of the Russian tourism industry, as they may soon become relevant for Russia as well.
Source: trn-news.ru