The Youth Lab

Young people are redefining the rules of travel conventions ✈️

As we hit peak summer holiday season, we’ve got travel on our minds. For this week’s 52INSIGHTS we’re diving deep into how young people are shifting the narrative around tourism and travel in 2024. From rejecting trendy locales for unique personalised experiences, young people are redefining the rules of travel conventions. They’re also seeking sustainable credentials, craving off the grid content and leaning on passions to explore the world. Grab your passport, neck pillow and #travelhacks, we’re ready for take off!

I SAW IT ON TIKTOK

Today’s 18-25 year olds are taking more trips than any generation before, with 52% identifying as frequent travellers, taking at least 3 vacations in one year. Many are even willing to cut spending in other areas of their lives to maintain their travel budgets. Rather than relying on aspirational travel media, think traditional outlets like Condé Nast Traveller or Lonely Planet, this younger cohort are seeking hyper-local knowledge to inform unique experiences and off-grid locations. TikTok Travel has also reached a new apex this summer, with posts on the app using the #holiday hashtag racking up an incredible 3 billion global views in July 2024 alone. A recent study revealed that 89% of 18-25 year olds in the US, UK, Canada and Australia have discovered new destinations through TikTok. As far-flung exotic destinations seem more accessible and attainable, even to youth consumers, TikTok’s role in holiday-planning will only grow more vital.

As young people prioritise ‘passion travel’, creating bespoke experiences that reflect their interests is a must. Out of the ordinary or ‘niche travel’ is a hugely growing category, ranging from key 2024 trends such as astro-tourism (tourists looking to stargaze) to dog-focused staycations. Tourism Ireland’s strategy to position Ireland as the Halloween capital of the world reflects this growing trend, capitalising on the rise of spooky tourism as a growing youth-cultural trend.

INSPIRED BY THE TRAVEL INFLUENCER

With TikTok as their tour guide, young travellers are not only just discovering new destinations, including Ireland, in droves for the first time this summer, but are also documenting their adventures on the app as well as Travel favourite, Instagram. With a fresh outlook, these young audiences are side-stepping expectations of how we think tourists could and should experience a trip to the Emerald Isle. In July, US TikTok creator @_spencerhudson went viral after hyping the “beautiful architecture” of Dublin and describing it as being nicer to visit than London, Paris and Berlin. His video gained over 500k views on the app, attracting much debate and response. What this insight revealed was a youth generation’s differing perspectives around their own travel preferences, showcasing Ireland in a new light and reappraising Dublin as a vibrant city for 18-25’s to visit.

Summer 2024 has also seen a frenzy of mini-viral Ireland travel moments online, from Texas-based Gen Z influencer Brittany Broski’s “getting banned in Ireland” video to a young American’s delight at shopping in an Irish supermarket. US TikTok influencer’s Ashley and Grant videos showcased their quirky humour and joy at various obscure locations visiting Galway and Dublin. Even Wednesday actress and Gen-Z icon Jenna Ortega got in on the action. Ortega, currently filming in Ireland, was spotted at music festivals in Dublin and posted to her 37 million followers about a trip to an animal sanctuary in Wicklow.

TOURISM TENSIONS & CLIMATE CONCERNS

The tourism industry has now completely recovered from COVID with 1.5 billion trips expected in 2024 (above 2019 numbers), with the industry now employing 300 million people and contributing 3% of the global GDP. But with more travel on the cards for young people, comes the issue of over-tourism.

Anti-tourism protests have been sweeping across Europe this summer, with demonstrations all over the continent in major tourist destination cities such as Athens, Barcelona, Venice and Mallorca. What’s causing the protests? Frustrations around issues of rising rents, housing prices and surging visitor numbers are driving locals, and particularly young people unable to afford rents, out of their own cities and “breaching a threshold of tolerance in these destinations” according to Peter DeBrine, UNESCO’s sustainable tourism officer. While this backlash continues to spread, cities are committing to combat this escalating tension. Recent implementations to curb the surge of over-tourism have included Venice’s day-tripper entry fee, Barcelona banning apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 and regions like Santorini and Brittany limiting cruise ship arrivals.

Similarly, extreme heat across Europe caused by the climate emergency is making travel to some regions dangerous. Vulnerable tourists, unfamiliar to the higher temperatures in areas of Spain and Greece and lacking local knowledge are more at risk. Noting the heat risk and the potential disruption, younger travellers are already looking to Scandinavian countries and countries with temperate climates for ‘coolcationing’.

Not everyone wants their holiday to be a jetset action-packed sun-filled excursion anymore. The ascendance of wellbeing travel and micro-trends around sleep tourism and outdoor therapy show the emergence of enhancement and longevity through travel. Brands can take the lead from hotels like Gregans Castle in The Burren, County Clare who, as part of their relaxation philosophy, do not have televisions in their bedrooms.

A REWARD FOR GREEN DEEDS

Young travellers are placing greater emphasis on sustainable travel, with 50% saying in a recent survey they are prioritising booking with companies that have ‘strong green credentials” and 13% promising to no longer travel by plane due to emissions.

Responding to both the demand and necessity for more sustainable tourism, the city of Copenhagen has recently launched an innovative approach incentivising visitors to act sustainably while they travel. The ‘CopenPay’ scheme rewards tourists with perks such as free lunches, coffees, glasses of wine and kayak rental in exchange for participating in environmentally friendly tasks while visiting the city. These sustainable activities include cleaning up litter from the city canals, volunteering on an urban farm and travelling by bike instead of driving. The director of marketing behind the Copenhagen scheme, Rikke Holm Petersen, says she wants “tourism to be a force for positive change and not an environmental burden”. Shifting the narrative of tourism from being an environmental burden to a catalyst for positive change is the project’s ambition and the organisers have encouraged other cities to develop their own similar systems, using Copenhagen’s model.

BRAND TAKEOUTS

Out of the ordinary experiences: Cater to the niche interests drawing young people to ‘passion travel’. We’re beyond generic cookie-cutter itineraries found in travel books, young people demand bespoke experiences that reflect their interests. Look at how tourism boards targeted Swifties this summer across the various stops of her juggernaut ‘Eras Tour’, from Edinburgh creating a special Taylor-themed food trail to Vienna offering free admission to museums for ticket holders.

Destination Dupes: Sceptical of overtourism and allergic to over consumed travel hotspots, young travellers are frequently searching for ‘destination dupes’, getaways or experiences that are similar to trending hotspots but with fewer crowds. Try to showcase unique aspects or cultures of your brand to appeal to the young traveller.

Seeking Somewhere Soothing: Holidays are more than just fun, they’re also opportunities to destress from a busy life. Take the lead from brands who offer something unique to promote re-energising and relaxation.

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