A week ago, I was at a private wine event with some friends and colleagues. Among all conversations, one stuck out in my mind and kept coming back in the following days.
We were discussing how people travel - and will travel - based on their generational category. The assumption was that for the generations after the Baby Boomers, products and communication channels will be very different.
I will reveal to you one of my business aspirations: figuring out how to transition towards GenXers and Millennials.
In brutal but practical terms, traveling requires time and money. With that in mind, travel companies are aware that Baby Boomers are the perfect market. But, for how long? The last wave of Boomers turned 50 in 2014. Some say, “they are just getting started."
Impressive findings on baby boomers and travel by AARP (2016 forecast):
- Practically all Baby Boomers (99%) anticipate traveling for leisure in 2016, with approximately 4 or 5 trips in the works.
- Many are planning both domestic and international trips (45%), with 5% planning international travel exclusively.
In a matureresources.org article titled A “Boom” in Baby Boomer Travel in 2016 it is very clear that boomers want to travel more and more and they are bumping up their budgets.
Still, the what’s next question is troublesome and many in the travel business tend to avoid reaching for an answer, perhaps unconsciously.
As I was getting uneasy with the generational dilemma, some relief came my way in the form of a LinkedIn post.
The LinkedIn muse was Mia Kyricos, a wellness executive and influencer. In her article titled Wellness Marketing: Generational or "Perennial" Wellbeing? she expressed this idea:
Sure, the "how" may differ by age, but the "what" is ageless, and I think it's time to consider this as we develop our wellness-driven marketing strategies.
What if we have been overthinking the generational brackets way too much?
What if the classification should be more psychographic than demographic?
If age is not a factor – for generational marketing – that means that we are in need of someone that verbalize this new finding. And Gina Pell did exactly that.
Read her article Meet the perennials.
Photo credit The What
So, who are the Perennials.
This abstract of Pell’s article could very well be the Perennials Manifesto:
We are ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who live in the present time, know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology, and have friends of all ages. We get involved, stay curious, mentor others, are passionate, compassionate, creative, confident, collaborative, global-minded, risk takers who continue to push up against our growing edge and know how to hustle. We comprise an inclusive, enduring mindset, not a divisive demographic. Perennials are also vectors who have a wide appeal and spread ideas and commerce faster than any single generation. Lady Gaga + Tony Bennett, Lena Dunham + Jenni Konner, Beyoncé + Jay-Z, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Fallon, Pharrell Williams, Justin Trudeau, Ellen DeGeneres, Malala, Sheryl Sandberg, Mick Jagger, Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, Elon Musk, Bernie Sanders, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lorne Michaels, Ai Weiwei, John Oliver, Aziz Ansari, the little girl on Stranger Things … #Perennials
I am a Perennial. Are you?
Today, as I sign off, I am making Tourissimo the Unofficial Active Travel Company of Perennials.
Great trips for Perennials:
