Travel and Tourism businesses are gearing up to provide the best services for NEXTgen Travelers, better known as “Tech-savvy” travelers. PhoCusWright, a travel industry research authority, conducted a recent survey of 2,559 adults who are active users of the latest computer, entertainment or consumer technology.

According to the survey, these “next generation” travelers are highly educated, affluent, and are equally likely to be Baby Boomers (43 to 61 years of age) as Echo Boomers (18 to 28 years of age), thereby debunking the belief that the usage of new technology is concentrated strictly among younger travelers.

The NEXTgen travelers are defined more by their attitudes towards technology than their demographics. It is vitally important that industry observers fully understand the lifestyles, travel habits and travel intentions of this emerging group.

Survey respondents revealed their preferences for using the Internet when planning travel:

• 71 percent use the Internet to search for travel information
• 41 percent have taken a virtual tour of a destination
• 38 percent have built a trip itinerary online
• 58 percent cite the “ability to check the best fares/rates” as the most important feature in a travel website.
• 37 percent say that personal comments on social networking or travel advisory sites influence their travel decisions
• 33 percent have posted their own travel review online

The survey indicates a need for a fresh approach to media strategies that will reach this growing travel audience. Is your business ready for the “NEXTgen” travelers?

Elizabeth Barrow 

Crystal Coast Tourism Authority 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 2:42 am and is filed under North Carolina Real Estate, Second Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.