Student and youth travel marketplace StudentUniverse recently released the results of its annual The State of Student & Youth Travel Report. The report details trends of Gen Z travelers, many of whom participate in family travel.
“This is the second year that we’ve prepared this report and it’s interesting to see how year-over-year the difference in this generation’s travel sentiment shows significant shifts with regards to how they find travel inspiration and what concerns them most,” said Will Jones, brand manager, StudentUniverse.
According to the study, Gen Z look at travel as an opportunity to advance their career, with 78 percent expressing interest in vocational travel. Sixty-eight percent believe travel will improve their employability. With concerns about sustainability, some Gen Z travelers plan to forgo plane travel due to high carbon emissions. Of those surveyed, 93 percent believe travel experiences can improve one’s mental health.
Another health-related trend: dry vacations. Eighty percent of Gen Z travelers indicated they would take a dry vacation. Gen Z travelers are more likely to utilize new technology in trip planning or inspiration, including AI and TikTok.
In addition to travel trends, the report shares the most popular destinations for 2024 based on booking data from StudentUniverse. The top 10 most popular countries for U.S. Gen Z travelers are:
- Italy
- Japan
- Greece
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Brazil
For more information, read the full report.
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