De generatie Y staat internationaal ook wel bekend als de Millennials, Net Generation, Generation Next of de Echo Boomers. Millennials (geboren tussen 1981 en 2000 begeven zich op de reismarkt en bereiden deze reizen op een andere manier voor dan de eerder generaties. Ze hebben andere verwachtingen en stellen andere eisen. Millennials zijn gewend dat digitaal en fysiek, werk en vrijetijd doorelkaar lopen. Zij schakelen snel en halen hun informatie overal vandaan.
Belangrijk is dat aanbieders authenciteit verkopen. Millennials geloven allang niet meer in reisbrochures en mooie afbeeldingen van bestemmingen. Juist de content die gemaakt wordt door andere bezoekers is waardevol en geloofwaardig. Waar eerder websites als Bookings.com juist profiteerden van de ervaringen van andere reizigers, gaat deze vorm van content bouwen nog verder. De Millennials maken de nieuwe content. Via alle vooral digitale kanelen waarover zij beschikken vertellen ze de wereld over hun reiservaringen. Als je dat weet, en als je zorgt dat je de behoeften van de Millennials begrijpt zijn, zoals TravelNext stelt, er zeker kansen voor bestemmingen en toeristische organisaties.
Lees een relativering in het Engelstalige artikel van Travel and Tour World:
Millennials, the generation of tech- savvy digital natives currently in their twenties and early thirties, will account for nearly half of the workforce by 2020. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say that a new generation of business travellers is quickly becoming a force to be remembered. Thus, the whole new wave of travel habits and expectations are going to emerge, if these have not already emerged, which would vary vastly from that of the previous generations.So, the question came whether the Millennials have different travel desires? For instance, including cycling in their intermodal and multimodal plans! As the intermodal travel planners simplify life for consumers by allowing them to plan an entire trip online, automatically identifying connections that complete the journey, the need for the travel planning apps started to offer a broader range of alternatives. However, the debate still continues whether all these remain just a niche for hipsters or these shape the things to come.
Nevertheless, travel and tourism companies are striving to capture business and loyalty of this new breed of travellers.
Intermodal travel planners, who at first used to limit to connections between the classical modes of travel – plane, train, bus, taxi, have already started new options as technology makes the data sharing easier and cheaper.
In love with the gadgets
Business travellers are often early adopters of new technology and Millennials are more so. They crave for mobility and convenience. Thirty-two percent of Millennials reportedly use a smartphone to book business travel, while only 12 percent of those over the age of 45 use the same.
Technology drives awareness
Qixxit, a travel planner app created by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn railway company, shows how this can work for long distance trips. Albeit most people are unlikely to use this for bike rental and car sharing, it is indeed an important mode for expansion or connecting mobility. The app helps to find how to get from one point to another using any mix of personal and public transport including plane, train, private bike, private car, car rental, bike rental, car sharing, ferry, taxi, long-distance buses and local public transport.
Real-time data feeds, geographical services and search tools from companies can make the building an intermodal trip planner from scratch a less daunting prospect.
Splurging on the Company Dime
Millennials, as it turns out to be, have expensive taste — as long as they’re not the ones paying! The recent reports say that about 37% of the business travellers aged 18 to 30 claim to spend more of their company’s money on room services than they would of their own. They also feel to shell out company cash on dining than the rest of the seasoned colleagues. However, tools like Concur Expense Management might help the employers to see just how much their Millennials travellers are spending.
Voice consent
About 80 percent of respondents in Expedia’s survey said that they consider the online reviews important while planning any trip. Moreover, they also do not leave a scope to share their feedback on how their own experience had been. No wonder that businesses are eager to meet Millennial demands as one out of four Millennial business travellers posts a negative review online.
Spontaneous
Millennials are famous (or perhaps infamous) for their spontaneity which is why the travel industry, which has always operated on advanced reservations, had to be completely on the toes for them. They are far more likely to book a trip or change their travel plans at the last minute and travel businesses are taking note. Last-minute online travel deals are thus gaining popularity among the digitally savvy Millennial travellers.
Concluding thought
Millennials already approach travel from a different perspective and are more open to using new alternatives. With better data and improved trip planners, these alternatives will become a doddle to use, making travel easier. The world of business travel is shifting its focus toward more intuitive technology with greater flexibility and these changes are sure to delight any business traveller.