With the Alps, Provence, the Mediterranean, and Bordeaux all on their doorstep, who could blame French travelers for never leaving their country? But, as it turns out, the French have so much vacation time (an average of 6 weeks per year) that they have time to explore both their beautiful country and the rest of the world. To help you understand how to reach and influence French travelers, we’ve compiled some insights from our recent study on French Multi-Generational Travel Trends.
French Gen Z Aren’t Digital Pioneers, They’re Digital Savants
Gen Z are second only to Millennials in total amount of days spent on vacation. And even though they’re young, they are starting to generate buzz in the travel world—with good reason. They are digital natives; they don’t know a world without digitally connected mobile devices and they use the devices as if they were natural extensions of themselves.
Not surprisingly, Gen Z’s social media engagement aligns with their larger digital habits. Compared to other generations, Gen Z reports being the most influenced by content on Facebook (65 percent) and Instagram (53 percent). But even the third-place site, Snapchat, comes in at a healthy 34 percent. Combine this with the fact that for every single phase of the travel journey (from inspiration, through booking, to device usage in-trip), Gen Z’ers use their mobile phones at higher rates than any other French Generation and you begin to get a clear idea of how you might reach Gen Z. These statistics represent quite an opportunity for brands to engage these travelers if you have strategies for marketing on mobile devices and across social media channels.
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French Millennials Do Their Research
Much has been made of Millennials – in the travel world and beyond. Now that they’ve come into their own, we’re seeing them as a generation that researches their travel decisions. For instance, French Millennials have an abundance of vacation time and they want to make the most of it. So how do they go about making sure they’re using their time wisely? Overwhelmingly, they read reviews (82 percent). No doubt, researching by reading reviews helps them make the most of their nearly two months of vacation time. If you’re hoping to engage this discriminating group, you might also want to use vivid imagery in your reviews and campaigns. They respond well to it, with 55 percent—more than any other French generation—saying they find appealing imagery influential.
Gen X Are Deal-Driven Travelers Who Look to OTAs For Planning and Booking
Just as likely to travel internationally as they are domestically, Gen X are also deal hunters. There may be several reasons for this, not least of which is that they often travel with kids. Whatever the reason, they look for appealing deals – more than any other French generation. Likewise, before they make any final decisions, 92 percent of them report searching for the best deals to make sure they’re getting the most value for their euro.
Their preference for deals is likely fueling their searching and booking behaviors. For example, Gen X turn to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) to plan and book travel. OTAs allow for cross-shopping and activity planning (among other things), meaning that Gen X can compare prices and search for things to do all on the same site. Focusing your messaging on ‘best value’ is a strong place to start when it comes to engaging and converting French Gen X’ers.
Boomers Have the Time, the Desire, and the Money to Travel
Of all the generations, Boomers are the generations that spends the most money on travel. Consider the following: compared to other generations, French Boomers are most likely to travel internationally, are the least concerned about budget, and are the least likely to look for the best deals. This means that they have the time, desire, and most importantly, the money, to spend on vacations. So, how can brands go about capturing their attention and converting them?
You can start by including informative content about your brand or destination in your campaigns. With 67 percent of Boomers responding well to informative content, this is the number one way to influence their decision-making process. Another great tactic is to show them a good deal. Yes, we know we just said they aren’t as preoccupied by deals, but even affluent travelers enjoy having their decisions validated and knowing that they are getting a good value. Bringing this all together, Boomers turn to OTAs as their number one source for booking. So, consider showing great deals with informative content on OTAs to earn the trust and euros of this group of travelers.
To learn more about the travel preferences of French travelers, download our study. You can also see French travel preferences in comparison to other European countries by downloading our guide on European Multi-National Travel Trends.
