Millennials: Have kids, will travel

The Millennials are multiplying! There are more than 22 million Millennial parents living in the United States, for example, with about 9,000 Generation Alpha babies born to them each day.

That’s right, Generation Alpha.

Generation Alpha (born beginning in 2010) is increasingly taking over the headlines from Millennials and Generation Z, and marketers are rushing to understand the implications of this generation on their industry.

Questions to think about:

• Will they really live the longest and be the wealthiest generation thus far?
• What will they spend their time and money doing?

The travel industry is no different.

If we could know how Generation Alpha will travel, including their preferences and their behaviors in shopping for travel, then we would be future-proof.

But, since the oldest Alphas are just now turning eight years old, our insights into their lifestyles (current and future) are limited.

But, we can begin to make predictions regarding the impact that future generations will have on the travel industry by learning about the generation raising them.

Globally, an estimated 2.5 million Alphas are born every week.

The market is growing up, literally

Millennials may be having babies, but that doesn’t stop them from taking more trips, and longer trips, compared to older generations.

And these young parents don’t hesitate to travel with their kids. In fact, 62% of Millennial parents are traveling with kids under the age of 5.

All of this adds up to extended – sometimes international – travel with Millennials at the helm and Generation Alpha in tow.

How does this come into play for travel marketers? Imagine a world where travel brands: destinations, cruise lines, hotels, activities, and more create experiences that enable Generation Alpha kids and their parents to connect with each other and with travel brands through every stage of the travel journey – including planning a trip through interactive maps and quizzes, and videos and imagery.

Many destinations are already embracing this dynamic approach that appeals to the whole family.

Here are two examples of what this can look like:

Palace Resorts

This brand is a leader in the luxury all-inclusive market and worked with Expedia Group Media Solutions to create the “ Never Lift a Finger ” campaign and engage with potential travelers in a highly personalized way, inspiring them to plan their perfect vacation.

Travel shoppers navigate a dynamic, digital experience that showcases the activities and amenities offered at their various resorts.

This digital experience includes eye tracking that surfaces recommendations according to where travel shoppers spend the most time looking. Activities that the site showcases range from family-friendly adventures to intimate dining experiences.

The conclusion of the digital experience is a recommended resort and a set of suggested activities tailored to the website viewer based on what they paid the most attention to and, of course, an opportunity to book.

TravelTexas

The organization, with their advertising agency, Proof Advertising, collaborated with Expedia Group Media Solutions on a unique, interactive campaign that encouraged U.S. travelers to take a virtual road trip across the state and experience the unexpected side of Texas.

“ Discover More Texas ” engaged users through a contest, rich images and video, and specific recommendations along four travel themes, one of which was family fun.

In fact, the Discover More Texas microsite led with family fun and it should come as no surprise that their top ‘family fun’ recommendations were all activity-driven: water parks, theme parks and beaches.

While we are beginning to see Generation Alpha's growing impact on travel, as marketers, we must not forget the influence of the generations before them.

Ultimately, parents are the ones booking the tickets. And by continuing to unearth what inspires younger generations to travel, and how they prefer to travel, we can begin to predict the behaviors of future generations.