Online travel agencies are the planning and booking tool of choice for older generations of European travelers, while younger consumers are increasingly turning toward smartphones before and during trips.
These patterns of behavior are among the findings of a study from Expedia Media Solutions examining traveler preferences across generations in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
For 54% of baby boomers and 51% of Generation X travelers, OTAs are used to plan trips. Those same age groups book via the sites at 50% and 52%, respectively – far more than other platforms, with 34% of boomers and just 30% of Gen X using search engines.
Search engines are more popular for travel planning among millennials (51%) and Generation Z (50%), though for booking, most use OTAs, 50% for millennials and 43% for Gen Z, tied with booking via search engine.
Interestingly, alternative accommodation sites factor little in planning – just 14% total across generations – and booking, at 12% total. About 22% of travelers look to hotel websites when planning, with just 16% booking via the sites.
Smartphone usage varies widely across generations, with 63% of Gen Z travelers looking for inspiration on mobile compared to 8% of boomers. In-trip smartphone usage is more common for boomers (54%) and Gen X (65%) and highest for Gen Z (76%) and millennials (73%).
Desktop still reigns for booking across all generations, at 82% for Gen Z, 83% for millennials, 87% for Gen X and 93% for boomers.
Deals on social media are more likely to sway behaviors of older generations, with 55% of boomers and 52% of Gen X citing influence by social promotions. Younger travelers, rather, look to friends, with 45% of millennials and 46% of Gen Z influenced by travel pictures posted by people they know.
Gen X (85%), millennials (84%) and Gen Z (80%) are most likely to read reviews from sites like TripAdvisor before making travel decisions, and millennials are most hungry for deals while planning, at 79% followed by 76% of Gen X.
Loyalty programs, however, have little influence in decision making, with just 29% across generations taking membership rewards into account.