The PATA Annual Summit brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are professionally engaged with the Asia Pacific region.
Baby Boomers prefer outdoor exploration, sightseeing and culinary travel experiences. Gen X tends to focus on family-oriented trips. Gen Y travelers prioritise experience rather than things. Each generation has unique preferences which presents a set of challenges for travel businesses trying to reach them.
This year, the Gen Z demographics, or individuals born between 1995 – 2000, is to overtake millennials as the largest group of consumers, accounting for 32 percent of the global population. This generation of travelers prefer authentic and unique experiences, and as digital natives, they plan and book their trips online and are heavily influenced by social media.
Nevertheless, Gen Z are more socially and environmentally aware than the generations before them. When planning a trip, over half (54%) indicated that they are mindful of the planet and the effect their decisions have on it, according to a survey by Booking.com.
Knowing their preferences – including what types of travel they prefer and how they research their travel plans – and using that information to create compelling messages that resonate with their specific preferences can make a big difference in the success of your marketing.
At the upcoming PATA Annual Summit (PAS) in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, Lyublena Dimova, Research Manager of the European Travel Commission, along with international experts, will delve deep into this travel segment in the session “Understanding Generation Z”, and discuss this generation’s current state and travel preferences, as well as how they book and share their travel experiences. She will be joined by panellists Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel Research for Euromonitor International; Aletheia Tan, Young Tourism Professional Ambassador at PATA; and Jon Whitby, Head of APAC at World Nomads.
Apart from the discussion on the next generation of travelers, the Summit, under the theme “Partnerships for Tomorrow,” will also explore the nature of partnerships, game-changing trends, and communities that will shape the future of tourism, a future where tourism remains a positive tool in fuelling sustainable growth and peace around the world.
In the session ‘Cross-cultural Communities of the Future,’ for instance, Nicole Smith, Founder and CEO of Flytographer will share her learnings in the process of building cross-cultural and productive communities in the travel industry.
Olof Atladottir, Destination Management Director of the Red Sea Development Company, in the session ‘New Tricks Changing the Old Game,’ will share one of Saudi Arabia’s key projects which focussed on ultimate sustainability by going beyond no impact to having a positive impact on a destination – the Red Sea Development Project.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
