Tracking what motivates young people to travel

New research by the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) in collaboration with Hype Collective and the University of Edinburgh Business School reveals what is motivating young people to travel post covid

 
This latest report outlines findings from the third stage of research which has been gathering insights into the pre, during and post covid mindset and revealed a number of noteworthy changes in young people’s motivations for travel now as compared to the peak of the pandemic. 
 
The good news is that after two years of lockdowns and restrictions, the motivation to get out and experience new things is almost back at pre-pandemic levels!
 
The worries around travel for Gen Z are still there, however, they have reduced from the peak of the pandemic as young travellers are keen to escape, relax and get back to enjoying travel.The findings show that at this point they are opting for shorter trips, perhaps as a way to start to build back confidence, so it is important for businesses to keep up the public facing communications to alleviate any concerns and provide assurances.
Emma English, Executive Director of BETA Said
 
Throughout the pandemic it has been encouraging to see that young travellers have maintained their desire to travel, they have always shown the highest propensity to travel and always been first off the blocks at every opportunity. Now with the removal of restrictions and freedom of movement the more independent 18 to 35’s are already actively booking and travelling which is great to see!
 
Simon Lucey, Founder, Hype Collective said
We are seeing a massive desire for travel amongst young people, but this is combined with levels of anxiety about travel comparable to the peak of the pandemic. This means we’ve got a very torn customer, on the one hand desperate to go out and create those wonderful new experiences – but with those nagging concerns still in the back of their head. I think the winners will be those that effectively deal with both feelings.
 
The survey collates the responses of 2,444 young people aged 18-35 in the UK.