Source: bbc.com

The BBC has announced the results of its 2017 Affluent Millennial survey at the World Travel Market. The survey, which follows the award-winning study conducted by BBC Global News Ltd in 2016 into millennials' relationship with brands, asked 2000 young people aged 16 – 24 how they travel, why they travel and where they stay on the way.

Although all millennials are widely assumed to enjoy travelling, the survey shows that affluent millennials are the real globe trotters, being 55% more likely to have travelled internationally for leisure in the last 12 months. While all millennials like to seek out unique experiences during international travel, for those in the affluent bracket this manifests itself quite differently. Where non-affluent millennials will seek history, heritage and once-in-a-lifetime moments, affluent millennials want shopping, leisure and authentic cultural experiences, going off the beaten track (as long as the track is still premium) and looking for adventure. However, one of the biggest differences between these two groups is where they chose to lay their head at night, with affluent millennials being a massive 92% more likely to book into a premium hotel than their less affluent peers.

The BBC survey also looked into how affluent millennials use social media whilst travelling internationally. As a status-conscious group, travel presents an excellent opportunity for them to use social media platforms to signal achievement, lifestyle and status, with 51% of respondents citing 'sharing experiences' and 'checking-in online' as being two of their top uses of social media.

But what influences an affluent millennial's thinking before they decide to book that trip abroad? According to the BBC's study, affluent millennials are much more likely to respond to advertising than those with less money, particularly if the advert appears on traditional news websites, like BBC.com, or international news channels like BBC World News. They are also a lot less interested in discounts and deals, and less likely to engage with '10 things to do…' listicle style pieces than the less wealthy. So what does work? High quality short films of a destination, as well as articles on how to find those sought after authentic experiences are what affluent respondents said would catch their eye.

With almost a billion millennials around the world, gaining an understanding of the travel habits of the most affluent amongst them and the way they respond to advertising is an important task, with insights like those this survey provides opening up new ways of thinking for all industries.

Christopher Chafin
Senior Publicity Manager, BBC Global News Ltd
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