Worldwide: Culture Trip’s introduction of new commercial offerings are inspired by its Cultural Mindset study – a nine-month, in depth research of the travel habits of UK and US consumers.
Culture Trip, with offices in London, New York, Tel Aviv and Shanghai, is launching a range of experiences that its users can book directly on the website or via its app.
“Younger generations are ‘global citizens’ almost from birth,” said Dr Kris Naudts, CEO and founder of Culture Trip. “18 per cent of all US/UK respondents in our study were born outside those countries. Among 25-34 year olds, this number rises to 32 per cent. It’s our mission to inspire people to go beyond their cultural boundaries and explore what’s special, unique and meaningful about a place. We all feel very strongly about this at Culture Trip and know that travellers deeply care, especially in the current political climate.”
Findings from the study include:
- Over 60 per cent of Millennials and Gen Z consider themselves as ‘culturally immersive’ – compared to only 35 per cent of Baby Boomers and 45 per cent of Gen X.
- 68 per cent of travellers think it’s worth taking risks to have an adventure, with 81 per cent of these travellers aged under 35. Older generations tend to see travel as a way to escape and relax.
- Gen Z are highly influenced by their peers. 59 per cent of those aged 18-24 will travel to the same places their friends do.
- Millennials prefer private rentals and boutique hotels and are twice as likely as older generations to stay in one, whereas Gen Z prefer to stay with friends or family. The majority of students (62 per cent) travel for that reason.
- Millennials and Gen Z prioritise food and drink and experiences over accommodation when it comes to travel spending.
- 86 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials believe that mental health is just as simportant as physical health, and those who travel frequently believe that even more so – 95 per cent.
- Travelling sustainably is high on younger travellers’ agenda. 37 per cent of Millennials try to limit how much they travel for environmental purposes, compared to only 15 per cent of Baby Boomers. 40 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials worry about the negative environmental impact of tourism.
“The Cultural Mindset study quantified the needs and preferences of Gen Z and Millennial travellers so we’re focusing on curating the special, the quirky, the tasty and the memorable,” said Ben Sacham, Culture Trip’s chief revenue officer for travel.
“Every month our network of local insiders produce thousands of individual recommendations for experiences, places to stay and to eat. We’re now scaling our contextual commerce model by categorising our 15,000 handpicked hotels and 35,000 recommendations to make it easier for travellers to find and book their perfect trip.”
The Cultural Mindset study is based on interviews with 150 consumers and a survey of 10,500 respondents in the UK and US. 15 per cent included respondents aged over 18 Generation Z, and 17 per cent Millennial.
Culture Trip won more than 20 awards last year. Its monthly unique visitors have increased from four million to nearly 20 million, and its app downloads have upped from 50,000 to more than 2.7 million.
