Page 10 - AeM_May_2018

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Real’ is more important than ‘perfect’

for Asia Pacific millennial travelers

Millennials represent more than 45% of Asia Pacific’s Especially, millennials in India have embraced the
population, and with 60% of the world’s millennials sharing economy more so than their counterparts
expected to live in Asia by 2020, it’s a group that no one across the region, with 75% using ride-sharing apps
can afford to ignore. and 55% using home-sharing apps often or very often.
On the other hand, millennial travelers in Japan are the
What does it take to win their hearts, minds and wallets?
Well, Amadeus provides some hints on what 18 – 35- least likely to use these services, with over 90% saying
year-olds in APAC want when it comes to they never or seldom use these apps.
travel. ‘Journey of Me Insights: What Asia Pacific Targeting millennials’ desire for new experiences is a
Millennial Travelers Want’ is the latest in a series golden opportunity for travel providers. In fact, the
of Journey of Me reports that Amadeus first launched in research found that after recommendations that help
August 2017. Conducted in collaboration with YouGov them save money (37%), millennials are most
across 14 markets in Asia Pacific, the research surveyed interested in recommendations that expose them to
6870 respondents, 45% of whom were millennials at the new experiences (27%). They are also open to travel
time the data was collected. providers sending them these recommendations or
updates through alternative platforms. 23% of
“The Millennial generation is indeed an extremely millennials say they prefer to be contacted via social
interesting generation. They grew up with the Internet
and technology is second skin to them. They have an media, which sits in second place behind email (31%).
openness to new experiences and a willingness to rattle However, in countries like Thailand and Indonesia,
social media comes up as the top choice for
the status quo. They want different experiences in travel,
so the industry must serve them differently. Travel millennials, chosen by 50% and 34% of them
providers will need to adopt new technology, new respectively.
strategies, and above all, new mindsets if they want to
secure millennial mind and market share. By People over brands
understanding what drives Asia Pacific millennials and How influential are influencers? Not very, it seems.
what they value when they travel, businesses will be When asked who has the most influence over their
better placed to meet their needs”, Karun Budhraja, Vice travel planning, and where they receive the most
President, Corporate Marketing & Communications, Asia relevant travel recommendations from, millennials
Pacific, Amadeus said. choose family and friends, as well as traveler reviews.

Embracing the new Somewhat surprisingly, millennials ranked celebrities
and social media influencers right at the bottom, even
More so than the generations that have come before lower than brochures.
them, millennials are embracing new technology, “While millennials may still look to influencers to curate
experiences, and ways of traveling. 42% of millennials
say they often use ride-sharing apps when they travel, trends, ideas and inspiration, I believe they are also
and 35% frequently use sharing economy services for becoming more sophisticated in how they evaluate
them. With so many influencers becoming brands unto
trip accommodation.
10 May 2018 - Cyber-security & Data Protection