Expedia Millennial Survey 2017: 50 Percent Indian Millennials are Worried about the Impact having Children will have on the Quality of their Holidays

Expedia®, a leading full service online travel company, today released the results of the 2017 millennial survey, an annual study of millennials across multiple countries and continents. The survey highlights that 62% of the Indian millennials prefer to book their tickets through an online travel agency whereas 19% of them prefer to book through airline and/or hotel websites directly. According to the survey, 34% of the millennials are most likely to travel to Asia within next five years whereas 18% of them would travel to Europe.

"According to Expedia Millennial Survey 2017, great deals and customization are the keywords for millennials. Over 56% register with online travel agencies to avail exclusive discounts and 47% millennials do so to receive personalized packages and deals. The cash and deal savvy Indian millennial is also eventually moving towards loyalty programs, where-in 33% have used loyalty points for bookings and over 45% would like to use it in future. They are also picking up, when it comes to cryptocurrency like Bitcoins, with 12% having used bitcoins already and 41% would like to use it in future. Going against the popular fad of solo travel, the Indian millennials prefer to travel to spend quality time with family (50% – Multigenerational), partner (42%), friends (37%), Children (20%) or alone (7%). Getaway from work (50%) and busting stress (46%), remain the highest motivation factors for millennials to travel" said Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia in India.

DETAILED SURVEY FINDINGS:

Tech – the only constant in a millennial's life!                              

• 94 % use a smartphone (a phone that connects to the internet e.g. iPhone, Blackberry, Android phones such as Samsung Galaxy)
• 56% use a tablet computer (e.g. iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Playbook)
• 23% use a wearable device that connects to the internet (e.g. a smart watch, a smart wristband)
• 21% use an e-reader (e.g. Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader)
• 21% use a handheld game device (e.g. PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, Nintendo DS)
  • 24% women use handheld gaming devices (e.g. PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, Nintendo DS) v/s a mere 15% men using the same

 
The holidaying millennial!

 
Trotting through Asia is on the bucket list of majority millennials!
Within the next 5 years, they would like to travel to

• Asia -34% | Europe -18% | United States 14% | Australia – 11%

 
We love to compare!
While planning the last holiday…

• 46% Took advice from family
• 46% Took advice from friends
• 43% Used price comparison websites  
• 42% Used travel company websites e.g. hotel/ airline websites
• 36% Read travel blogs
• 35% Used consumer review websites              
• 34% Used online travel forums
• 34% Browsed travel images online
• 33% Used websites which make available expert opinion
• 23% Used travel related magazines
• 23% Went to a travel agent
• 22% Browsed travel videos online
• 20% Requested advice on social media

 
Biggest influencers (for those who have taken steps to plan holiday)   

• 13% go through Travel company websites e.g. hotel/airline websites
• 12% go through Websites which make available expert opinion
• 12% go through Advice from family
• 11% go through Advice from friends
• 11% go through Consumer review websites
• 9% go through Price comparison websites
• 7% go through online travel forums
• 5% go through Travel blogs

                       
We prefer multigenerational holidays!
Travel Buddies for last holiday

• Multi generation holiday (50%) | with his/her partner (42%) | with his/her friends (37%)
• With his/her parents (37%) | with his/her children (20%) | Alone (7%)

                                   
Overall 66% Millennials have registered with an online travel agency, out of which:

• 58% registered to receive exclusive holiday discounts
• 47% registered to be able to access my booking information more easily
• 46% registered to receive improved customer service
• 45% registered to receive personalized holiday offers
• 42% registered to receive alerts when the holidays I am interested in change in price
• 42% registered to be able to save details of holidays that I'm interested in
• 42% registered to be able to save their holiday preferences
• 40% registered to receive help more quickly if there is a problem while I am travelling
• 32% registered to be notified when I need to complete important steps before my holiday e.g. organize my registered Visa, vaccinations
• 32% registered to access exclusive travel forums       

 
The digital millennial!                                              
We Book travel/holidays:

• Online travel agency (62%) | through airline and/or hotel websites directly (19%)
• Over the phone (8%) | in an offline travel agency (7%)

 
We prefer to book through OTAs because it's more user-friendly (58%), convenient (56%), secure (45%), cheaper (41%), the information is more up-to-date (56%) and I'm able to book everything in the same place (48%).
 
We just love customization!
We like to share our personal information to get:

• Special offers/discounts relevant to holidays I might like (53%)
• Helpful travel/holiday advice and tips relevant to me personally (52%)
• Personal recommendations for holidays I might like to purchase (45%)
• Better tailored services to me as a result of learnings from my previous purchases/behaviours (37%)
• Funny or amusing content (22%)

(By personal data we mean information such as browsing or purchase history more than just your personal details like name, email address)
 
Dear office. I need to break-up!
Our motivation for last holiday was to:

• Have a break from work (50%)
• Find more excitement in my life (48%)
• Reduce stress (46%)
• Fulfil my dream of travelling to a new destination (42%)
• Send quality time with my partner (36%)
• For a change in weather (36%)
• Spend quality time with friends (36%)
• Treat myself to something exclusive (31%)
• Have a truly authentic cultural experience (34%)
• Spend quality time with my children (17%)
• Be alone (18%)

 
We would love new services

• A service that allowed you to split the cost of a holiday (e.g. travel, accommodation) online between different payment options- 85% interested
• A service that allowed you to split the cost of a holiday (e.g. travel, accommodation) online with another person-76% interested
• Wearable technology that automatically adjusted your hotel room temperature according to your own body temperature- 75% interested
• A suitcase that connected to the internet, which you could track using a smartphone app- 84% interested
• A service that provided surprise holiday recommendations based on your personality – 84% interested
• A service that provided surprise holiday recommendations based on your budget – 89% interested

 
We wield influence…

• Holiday photos posted by my contacts on social media influence where I decide to go on holiday – 59% Agree; 17% Disagree
• I would like to use virtual reality (VR e.g. Oculus Rift) to discover which holiday destinations I will find the most interesting – 60% Agree; 12% Disagree
• I would be willing to interact with a brand on social media (e.g. tweet about a brand, follow a brand) in order to receive holiday discounts/ off – 63% Agree; 14% Disagree
• The thought of going on holiday alone intimidates me – 50% Agree; 22% Disagree
• I have posted a photo/video of my holiday on a social network while I'm away – 64% Agree; 18% Disagree           
• It's important to me that people comment on the holiday photos I post on social media – 57% Agree; 18% Disagree
• If I use a travel company's services, I would be happy for them to rate me as a customer – 70% Agree; 7% Disagree     
• I worry for my safety on holiday abroad more than I do when I'm on holiday in my own country – 64% Agree; 13% Disagree
• When I go on holiday, the most important thing for me is to experience the authentic culture of the place- 83% Agree; 4% Disagree
• I often make holiday plans at the last minute – 40% Agree; 39% Disagree    
• When researching a holiday, I enjoy saving links and images to refer to at a later stage – 74% Agree; 7% Disagree

 
Methodology

Expedia has worked with Foresight Factory, a leading global consumer trends and forecasting consultancy, in the design and delivery of this study. Drawing on established and emerging trend research tracked by Foresight Factory, this report further explores the key trends that pose changes and pressures for the millennial vacation and booking process. A 10 minute questionnaire was undertaken online in March 2016 with a sample of 1,000 consumers per country, 18-64, UK, Germany, France, USA, China, Australia, Brazil and South Korea. A similar 10 minute questionnaire was undertaken online in November 2016 to include a further 13 countries – with a sample of 1,000 consumers per country, 16-64, UK, Germany, France, USA, China, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Spain, Thailand, Mexico and Canada. In parallel, qualitative research was undertaken via Foresight Factory's global network of Trendspotters. Feedback on a number of questions around travel behaviours, needs and attitudes was received from 9 consumers from the UK, USA and China. Six of these respondents were Millennials, aged between 25 and31, and have been quoted throughout this report.About Expedia

Expedia is a leading full service online travel company with localized sites in 33 countries. Expedia is a one-stop solution for all travel needs, with a comprehensive and distinctive suite of travel solutions covering over 200 countries with 25k+ holiday activities and 500+ airlines, 385,000 hotels and 11 million independent and verified traveller reviews worldwide. Expedia helps consumers book flights, hotels, flight + hotels, car rentals and tourist attractions, all supported by a call centre in India.

For more information, visit- https://www.expedia.co.in/

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