Kenyan millennial travellers are spontaneous travellers, according to a new study by Saffir Africa. The study that was conducted between 1st and 23rd August 2017 indicates, for Kenyan millennials, travel is mostly not planned, it is decided at the spur-of-the-moment.
To them, experiences matter more than material things; hence they would rather travel the world than buying property. “Upon inquiring why millennials travel, more than half of the respondents said that their travels are not premeditated, while nearly a third take planned breaks. This matches the previous findings of the “How Kenyans Travel” report, that millennials are intrinsically spontaneous travellers, the report states.
According to the report, millennials value speedy access to information from mobile sources to find, plan and book travel experiences online.
“Travellers in this category increasingly turn to mobile in shorter spurts to make informed decisions faster than ever before. For marketers, this phenomenon has huge implications for the entire travel decision journey across devices and channels,” the report advised.
In the study, the firm sought to understand better what pulls millennials to destinations. Nearly half of Kenyans millennials are attracted to destinations with a high recreational value such as amusement, relaxation, activities, sports, and fun.
On preferred payment mode, nearly half of them pay for their holidays via mobile money while two-thirds of them book their travel online. “The percentage of them who are happy to pay via mobile nearly doubles those willing to use mobile payments from the other age groups,” the report illustrates.
The other half use cash and credit/debit cards. From the findings, businesses will need a mix of payment modes in order to appeal to these travellers.
Millennials refer to people born in the ‘80s to the early 2000s, the people that entered adulthood early in the 21st century.
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This category of travellers, unlike other generations, was exposed to the internet at an early age. They will exert more influence on the market as they become the next big mass of buyers.
The report states that by 2025, it is estimated they will make up about 60% of the global workforce making them the next big drivers of the travel industry.
“Travel is a social venture for millennials and they are best interested in joining small groups of other people with similar interests. To appeal to them, the offerings and messaging must have a social ring to it. This traveller wants to engage with others, mingle, share and socialize when travelling,” the report noted.
Kenya’s domestic travel market is now contributing 45 percent of the revenues to the sector.
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