Do you ever wonder which generation – out of the Baby Boomers, Gen X or Millennials – is most likely to turn to the advice of a travel agent?

For many, it’s thought that young people are all about booking through OTAs and Airbnb, but as it turns out, they might just be your biggest fans.

New research from Signature Travel Network and The Center for Generational Kinetics surveyed 1000 American travellers ages 21-65 who have taken a leisure trip in the past 12 months or plan to take one in the next 12 months.

And what they found shone some new light on the attitudes towards travel agents by each age bracket.

First off, the research showed that no matter your age, the internet is where travellers start their inspiration journey – the ‘dream’ phase, if you will.

Twenty years ago, would-be travellers started planning a leisure trip by first picking up a travel brochure or contacting a travel agency, but for the most part, this is no longer the case.

In fact, the study found that 69 per cent of American leisure travellers take their first step toward researching travel online. They may very well contact a travel agent along the way, but digital research is where the journey begins.

The probability of a leisure traveller beginning to gather travel information online is high across generations, but it is especially true for women. In fact, 74 per cent of women, compared to 64 per cent of men, start researching travel options online as their first step.

BUT – and it’s a big ‘but’ – the Millennials are the most likely of these groups to go to an agent for advice.

The study found that 14 per cent of Millennials, compared to six per cent of Boomers and seven per cent of Gen X, say that their first step toward gathering information about a leisure trip is to contact a travel agent.

This is likely due to the fact that younger travellers have less experience under their belt than the older ones, and feel more comfortable asking an expert for advice.

The bottom line, however, is that travel research starts online, so if you want to catch a client, that’s where you’ve got to be.

Travel agents need to have a strong and appealing online presence, not just because most Millennials are starting to research online, but also because they’re a fairly interested market and are more likely than older travellers to start their travel journey with an agent.

The study found that the #1 way to catch the attention of Millennials who are thinking about leisure travel is through social media ads. In fact, 38 per cent of Millennials say that these ads featuring fun places to visit or special pricing will absolutely catch their attention.

It also showed that 58 per cent of Millennials would be convinced to follow a travel consultant on social media by great photos of places to visit, while 56 per cent would be convinced by links featuring cool places to visit.

So yes, Millennials are digital-naturals, however, when it comes to talking face-to-face, Millennials are once again the travel agent’s cheerleaders.

The study found that 32 per cent of Millennials prefer to make an appointment to sit down and talk to a travel consultant as their initial contact. This is more than any other generation.

The other ways of contacting the consultant, such as calling, exploring the website, or emailing directly, score much lower. A face-to-face conversation with an expert is ideal for Millennials in this situation.

Overall, when it comes to follow-up communication, most generations appreciate a good email, however don’t let the human contact slip for Millennials.

As it turns out, the study revealed that while found that 54 per cent of Millennials prefer email to receive updates from travel consultants, they still prefer to be contacted by phone to receive updates on travel specials and deals – more than any of the other generations surveyed.