Did you know that German travelers take an average of nearly 36 vacation days a year and that they prioritize experiences as their number one travel consideration? With that much time and valuing of experiences, it’s no wonder German travelers research their destinations beforehand, consulting different places and types of content for inspiration. To that end, we’re sharing data and insights from our German multi-generational travel trends study to help you get your branded message in front of them, at the right time and place.
Internationally Bound Gen Z (18-23) Like to Sightsee and Relax
Gen Z travelers love international travel, with 76 percent of them preferring international destinations (more than any other generation). On these international jaunts, they prefer fun activities, like sightseeing and relaxing—their top two favorites. In addition, they also enjoy family-oriented vacations. In fact, along with Boomers, Gen Z visit family more than the other generations.
For planning and booking, they look to OTAs and search engines to help inform their decisions. Not surprisingly, because they are family oriented, they also look to friends and family for inspiration via social media. With so many sources of inspiration and reasons to travel, consider advertising on OTAs and have a solid social media marketing plan in place.
Destination Indecisive Millennial Travelers (24-35) Choose Planes and Prefer Hotels
Millennials travel the most frequently, with an average of four trips per year. Driving this frequency of travel is a desire to sightsee and relax. Also, not shy about traveling internationally, it’s probably no surprise that Millennial travelers are the most likely to travel by plane and to stay in a hotel. Together, these preferences account for how they apportion their budget—32 percent for hotels and 18 percent for flights.
They are budget-conscious travelers who read reviews of places and look for places filled with activities before deciding. Consider content that speaks to their relaxing and sight-seeing preferences that also features great deals on hotels and air travel.
Vacation Happy Gen Xers (36-55) Seek Relaxation and Feeling Pampered
Gen X travelers spend the most total time on vacation (number/frequency of trips combined with length of trip). This translates into nearly 40 days of vacation. Likewise, because Gen X isn’t too tied to a budget and they take so many vacation days, they are free to explore their many travel preferences that include: relaxation, exploring the outdoors, and feeling pampered.
They also turn to OTAs for planning and booking. In addition, to help them plan, they look to advertisements with informative content. All these habits mean that content with detailed reviews, content that speaks to their desire for diverse experiences, and content advertised on OTAs, has a great chance to convert these travelers. And even though they aren’t that tied to a budget, they still look to appealing deals in advertisements so make sure you highlight the deals your destination can provide.
Baby Boomers (55+) Are Less Tied to a Budget and Take the Longest Vacations
When Baby Boomers travel, they spend the longest amount of time per vacation and they travel for myriad reasons: relaxation, sightseeing, exploring the outdoors, feeling pampered, and cultural experiences. Interestingly, they are the most likely to travel by car (36 percent) and least likely to travel by plane; and like Boomers in other countries, they aren’t very tied to a budget.
For planning and booking, they are also most likely to use OTAs over other resources. When trying to reach this group, consider advertisements with OTAs that have informative content from destinations.
These are just some of the insights you can find in our German multi-generational travel trends study. To learn more about how to inspire, reach, and convert German travelers, download the full study here.
