Younger travelers—those in Generation Y and Generation Z—are becoming more and more important to tourism marketers as older visitors to these destinations age and begin traveling less.

But what’s important to this younger generation of travelers? Ibis, a leading economy hotel brand, and Globetrender, a travel trend forecasting agency, recently surveyed 9,000 people from eight major markets (including the US, the UK, India, and China) to see what matters to Millennials and Gen Z.

A few key trends emerged from this study:

• Vacationers in Generation Y and Generation Z put a big emphasis on eating locally, with 92% considering local food important and more than half of that number calling it “very important”
• Almost half of Generation Y and Generation Z travelers (48%) put an emphasis on attending events or festivals
• Traveling with friends remains popular—28% said they intend to travel with one or more friends
• Social media remains an important source of inspiration, with 27% of young travelers saying Instagram helped their decision making and 17% saying they turned to TikTok

See more takeaways from the study here.

What is your destination doing to reach younger travelers? We’ve worked with clients to develop marketing strategies that appeal to younger vacationers—drop us a line to learn more.