Workshop on Low/Medium Season for Seniors and Young People in : Youth Session

Peter Jordan Senior Tourism Analyst, Toposophy WE ARE A DESTINATION MARKETING AGENCY.

We provide tourism organizations, associations and companies (both public and private) with practical solutions to develop, manage and market places as tourism destinations, accompanying them on every step of the way.

WE REVEAL THE BEST OF WHAT EVERY PLACE HAS TO OFFER

1. Defining ‘Youth ’

2. How do Millennials travel differently?

3. The effect on destinations

4. Seasonality and Millennial travel behaviour

5. Putting a destination on the map for Millennials – the case of Defining ‘Youth Travel’

An age group or A niche market or Student travel for the specific purpose of study or As a vehicle for international exchange, peace and understanding

Source: United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008: ‘Youth Travel Matters – Understanding the Global Phenomenon of Youth Travel’ As per UNWTO, 2008:

‘Youth travel includes all independent trips for periods of less than one year by people aged 16-29 which are motivated, in part or in full, by a desire to experience other cultures, build life experience and/or benefit from formal and informal learning opportunities outside one’s usual environment’

Source: United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2008: ‘Youth Travel Matters – Understanding the Global Phenomenon of Youth Travel’

‘Youth’ or ‘Millennials’? • Millennials: The current young generation, aged 18-34 • Also known as Gen-Y, the ‘Me’ Generation • Exact age brackets differ by organisation Enters teenage years and becomes an independent consumer, post the year 2000

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Gen X & ‘Gen Z’ Baby- boomers Born during this period The same, but different

• Millennials are defined by the times in which they grew up: world events, the economy and social change. Experiences of these differ around the world. Real GDP growth forecast 2015 (source: IMF):

Italy: 0.5%

Indonedia: 5.2% The same, but different

• Cultural differences can influence travel expectations and ambitions (travel maturity)

Pacific Asia Travel Association (2014) The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller The same, but different

SCHOOL LEAVER / APPRENTICE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL / STUDENT / ‘NEET’ PARENT / MARRIED / SINGLE

• Young people are very diverse. Their needs and tastes can change rapidly as they grow. • Search is by product and interest, not age. • It’s why we need to understand young peoples’ self-expression through consumption, especially in travel. How do Millennials travel differently?

1. More connected than any previous generation

This is the generation that grew up with: • ‘Internet everywhere’ (3G, Wi-Fi) • E-Commerce • Mobile devices • Social media • E-travel (reviews, metasearch, last minute booking, group deals) • The concept of ‘personal branding’ 2. Social media rules

• For Millennials, social media is their primary source of news, information, inspiration and advice. • Social media is used throughout Millennials’ journey: when dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing, and reflecting. • Where you travel says a lot about you, and social media magnifies Millennials’ ‘personal brand’ 3. Millennials seek to collect experiences, rather than ‘things’

• Millennials grew up during the Global Economic Crisis. House and car ownership are less of a possibility for this generation. • Brought up with the Internet and 24-hour news, this generation is more globally aware and globally curious. • Happiness comes from collecting experiences (eg. Adventures, new friendships), learning new skills and sharing it all online. 4. Millennials seek authenticity

• Millennials’ seek to satisfy their cultural curiosity by meeting new people (now possible thanks to location-based apps, such as Foursquare and Tinder)

• When travelling they increasingly look to connect with the local culture, attending events and taking classes based on language food, music, fashion and design 5. Millennials are driving the

• Due to a combination of all the factors described in slides 1-4, Millennials are driving the growth of the Sharing Economy (eg. , Homeaway, , Dopios, BlaBlaCar) • According to VisionCritical, 48% of ‘neo- sharers’ are Millennials, and their consumption future behavior as business travellers and family travellers will expand the use of Sharing Economy services even more. Seasonality and Millennial travel behaviour THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• Which destinations suffer most from seasonality?

• Which consequences of seasonality are we best able to address? (Failure of the labour market, under-utilization of resources, seasonal unemployment, failure of small businesses…)

• Which elements of Millennial travel behaviour can help to counter seasonality? (3 examples…)

LAST-MINUTE LIVING

• #YOLO culture

• Prizing experiences over assets

• 19% of Brits have used their smartphone to book a trip on the same day as departure

• 59% have booked this way in the same week as departure

Source:: LastMinute.com Sponteneity Report 2014, Photo: Design is Cooler THE QUEST FOR SELF-IMPROVMENT

• Increased awareness of health, fitness and well- being

• Think yoga camps, overseas marathons, wellness retreats and soft-adventure (hiking, skiing, paragliding)

• Increased interest in personal diet: ‘slow food’ movement,

Source:: LastMinute.com Sponteneity Report 2014, Photo: Design is Cooler

AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES MEET THE LOCALS

• Seeking to discover the destination from new angles: its way of life, its hidden gems and its modern youth culture

• Seeking to build a network, online and offline

• Prizing experiences over assets

Source:: LastMinute.com Sponteneity Report 2014, Photo: Design is Cooler

SEEKING TO IMPACT THEIR DESTINATION IN A POSITIVE WAY

• Aware of negative impact (24h news, social media)

• As a result, looking to support local people, initiatives and small business

• Promote sustainable living, limit negative impacts on the environment What effect is Millennials’ travel behaviour having on destinations?

• Millennials’ online research and booking habits have accellerated destination marketing & management organisations’ (DMOs) transition online with apps, mobile-friendly websites, and social media marketing

• DMOs are re-evaluating at how new and existing products could appeal to a younger generation

• DMOs are seeking new ways to connect travellers with local people and culture

• DMOs are trying to accommodate Sharing Economy services into their legislative framework Putting a destination on the map for Millennials: The case of ATHENS

Photo source: UrbanTravelBlog Re-orienting Athens as a destination for Millennial travellers

+ City & national tourism authorities Youth travel specialists from overseas Travel media Millennial insights panel

What were our objectives?

• Re-orientate Athens as a desirable destination for Millennials • Help local city tourism businesses to understand a new market • Combat seasonality, recent negative media coverage and Athens’ social crisis by seeking new opportunities from emerging tourism segments • Give local young people a stake in the city’s tourism industry and economic future • Put small businesses on the map for Millennial visitors to Athens What did we do?

• Connect overseas experts with local young entrepreneurs and city authorities • Identify current state of the youth travel market in Athens and rest of the world • Evaluate progress to date • Learn from travel industry specialists, the media and young people themselves what solutions would work well for Athens • Create a roadmap for helping the city move forward and put in place a strategy for making the Millennial market work for the city What was the result? • Strengthened relationship between local young entrepreneurs and city tourism authorities

• City of Athens is now actively seeking ways to incorporate specific Millennial products into its product range

• Gained extensive coverage in overseas travel media for the Millennial city break market

• High level of interest from other European DMOs in taking this approach to building youth travel market for the long-term THANK YOU

[email protected] +31 634581566

Acharnes, Athens, | T. +30 210 8941610 F. +30 210 24 04405 | E. [email protected]