Family travel study shows kids call the shots
Multigenerational travel is nothing new; families with little ones have been traveling with grandparents for years. But it does seem to be a growing phenomenon. So much so that Preferred Hotel Group did a study on it to help understand customers.
Some of the findings from the 100-page study are quite interesting. I’ve highlighted a few below.
• Children relish planning: Fully 40 percent of both grandparents and parents say their children “actively participate in or influence vacation planning,” specifically with respect to daily activities (77 percent) and deciding which destinations to visit (62 percent). Almost half (49 percent) of all multigenerational travelers agree their grandchildren influence the selection of the hotel or resort.
• Grandparents pay to play: Grandparents, more so than parents (35 percent versus 25 percent), are inclined to pay for multigenerational trips to “help family members enjoy a vacation they otherwise could not afford.”
• Classic destinations are hot: Orlando (25 percent) and the National Parks (17 percent) top the list of domestic destinations multigenerational travelers would like to visit during the next two years, while the Caribbean (29 percent) and Western Europe (28 percent) top the list of international “dream destinations.” The destinations of greatest interest within Europe are Italy (17 percent), England (16 percent) and France (16 percent).
• Same time next year: Among travelers who took a multigenerational vacation last year, 77 percent agreed that taking such a vacation “is something they try to do every year” – a sentiment that is particularly true for Millennials (91 percent) and Gen Xers (80 percent).
• Familiar favorites, or the road less traveled?: Multigenerational travelers display great loyalty to the destinations they visit, with 35 percent intending to visit the same destination on their next multigenerational trip. Perhaps not surprisingly, beach vacations (35 percent) and theme park vacations (28 percent) are the most popular types of multigenerational vacations.