Tapping into the youth market for Europe

couple of tourist for st. valentine in rome

With early birds to Europe being launched, now is the time to target the young Aussies who still dream of Europe as a getaway destination.

Europe has emerged as the resounding favourite when it comes to holiday locations for Australia’s 18-24 year olds, with more than eight in ten nominating it as their number one travel destination of choice, according to research from Commonwealth Bank.

Despite the increasing accessibility of locations in South America, Africa, Asia, North America, and other parts of the world, 84 percent of young Australian adults selected Europe as the continent they most wanted to visit.

The findings also revealed that nearly two thirds (60 percent) of Australia’s 18-24 year olds want to travel to at least four destinations before 2020, and almost 1 in 10 are setting their sights on 10 or more.

Optimism is running high, with 68 percent of those surveyed believing it is likely that they will make it to their dream destination within the next five years.

Danielle Murrie from Commonwealth Bank, said “with so much going on in the lives of young Australians today, it’s encouraging to see that travel is still a priority. At Commonwealth Bank, we strongly believe that travel plays an important role in helping people develop and learn, so we’re encouraged by these results.”

Inspiration to travel is being driven by a feeling of travel FOMO (fear of missing out) with half of those asked admitted to feeling it at some point. Over three quarters (76 percent) admitted to asking their mates for inspiration, for everything from destinations to activities.

Meanwhile, social media also plays a part, with two-thirds (66 percent) citing Facebook and just under half (49 percent) naming Instagram as one of their key travel inspiration sources. Beyond personal networks, 42 percent read and follow travel blogs for inspiration on where to go.

Being exposed to so much travel inspiration is enough to make anyone want to book the next big trip; however, the research highlighted some roadblocks to fulfilling these dreams.

Cost was the biggest barrier with 70 percent of those asked worrying that they cannot afford the travel in the first place. Alongside this, just under two thirds (65 percent) also worry about saving for the trip.

As well as the monetary stresses, 59 percent worry about being able to get time off work, school or university in the first place.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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