On Road Warrior Voices writer Jessica Festa dissected the findings of a November 2014 survey done by Resonance, a destination branding and marketing company that interviewed 1,189 Americans between the ages of 18 and 34. She points out that millennials are impacting the travel industry in at least five ways:
- They love to travel. They take 4.2 vacations annually, compared to 3.5 for the average U.S. traveler, and often choose group vacations with friends.
- They are creating a demand for a hospitality market that focuses less on five-star properties, and more on boutique offerings.
- Technology-savvy, they expect free hotel Wi-Fi (and will prolifically use it to post praise or complaints about the property on their social media channels.)
- They are budget travelers who actively seek out travel and dining deals. They spend an average of $888 per trip, versus $1,347 for the average American globetrotter.
- Work-life balance is crucial. They expect time take off from work to travel the world; which is common in countries like Australia and the U.K., but more unusual in America.
