The tourism environment is constantly evolving. Just when we started understanding Millennial generation, the Gen Z is about to enter our market. We don’t know yet much about them but what the industry need to know is that they are ready to travel!
Who are they?
Gen Z is the generation formed by 8 to 18-year-olds born between 1998 and 2008. Today they represent 1/4 of the population and they are rapidly growing. By 2020 Generation Z will account for 40% of all consumers and will have the full disposable income to travel. Therefore, they will represent a big share of the market.
However, tourism marketers need to understand that Get Z are really different from Millennials.
The digital generation growing up on mobile is truly different to the generation who grew up discovering mobile.
Gen Z is a multi-tasking and a multiple screen generation (TV, iPhone, laptop, desktop, iPad etc.) with a really short attention span of 8 seconds. That is something that marketers should carefully consider when creating content for that generation.
Get Z also approach social media in a different way compared with the previous generation. They give high value to privacy and prefer apps like Snapchat and Whisper. Even more interesting is the fact that 25% of this generation abandoned Facebook in 2014. This is because Gen Z spend most of their time looking for content on social media instead of social networking. Also, apps like Youtube and Instagram are the most preferred ones.
We are in front of a generation that doesn't only share things, but creates things. Gen Z can be defined as “curators”, they want to contribute to the conversation and be part of it.
Connectivity is also fundamental for this generation, it is a given, not a variable. Be connected at every stage of their trip is a must for Gen Z.
Gen Z: the Snapchat generation
It’s clear now that Snapchat is here to stay. But few travel brands seem to have understood why or what to do with it. Low-fare airline Wow Air aimed at reaching Gen Z audience with their new campaign encouraging consumers to show off their Snapchat skills for the chance to be a content creator and travel the world. The short term benefit to this campaign is definitely the PR generated from it. However, the long terms are about getting more people interested and connected with their bands, by staying top of mind in a crucial market segment