Travel and Tourism Trends

Generational and Multi-National Travel Trends

Travel is not a one-size-fits-all experience; traveler motivations vary around the world. These studies, commissioned by Expedia Group Media Solutions, compare and contrast the influences, preferences, and behaviors of travelers from around the world.  

 View the Multi-National Study to get a broad overview of all eight countries with graphs and data.

Generational Travel Trends 

Take a closer look at the unique habits and behavioral trends of travelers from 4 generations — Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z — in each region or country.

Generational Travel Trends by Region

Take a deep dive to understand regional and generational differences.

Behavioral Travel Trends by Region

Dive further into each region to more effectively reach and inspire travel consumers.

Travel Trends and Insights

When it comes to travel marketing content, knowing your audience is vital. Here are 5 key learnings from the collective research above to help you understand and effectively engage your digital travel consumers.

1. Most travelers are deciding between two or more destinations
On average, only 37% of travelers surveyed had a destination in mind when deciding to take a trip. Millennials are most likely to be deciding between multiple destinations and Boomers are most likely to already have a destination in mind.

2. Imagery and deals in advertising are effective for younger generations and specific regions
Gen Z and Millennial travelers are influenced the most by imagery and deals in advertising while ads with informative content and reviews speak more to Boomers. Americans, Canadians, and Australians are the most influenced by deals, while the biggest influence for Germans is informative ads. 

3. Millennials take the most trips
Millennials are the leaders in both business and personal trips, taking an average of 2.9 personal trips and 1.6 business trips. They are also more likely to take bleisure trips, business trips that extend into leisure travel.

4. Gen Z travelers are open-minded, mobile and influenced by advertising
Gen Z is likely to start the research and planning process without a destination in mind. They rely on smartphones for travel inspiration and are highly influenced by deals and imagery on social media and advertising.

5. OTAs lead the pack for booking travel
Across all generations, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) account for the highest number of online bookings. Nearly half of respondents used an OTA to book their last trip and Millennials use OTAs significantly more than any other resource for booking travel.