A Gen Z influencer has singled out Ryanair’s social media channels and Virgin Atlantic’s advertising some of the best in travel for younger consumers.
Non-binary TikTok creator Perrin Hooper – who has 401,000 followers on TikTok – told an audience at WTM London: “Social media is changing.
“People my age are not looking for a shiny ad that is perfectly made, we are looking for real, snappy, short, quickly consumable.
“We want stuff like Ryanair – they have smashed their social media and TikTok – a perfect mix of original content and trends.
“Have your young people run your social media.”
They also talked about Gen Z being more open to talking about LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and mental health issues.
“I love the new Virgin ad; I feel as non-binary person, this is an airline where I can present myself however I want and I won’t be judged,” they said.
Another way to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community is to have an extra option instead of Mr and Mrs, such as Mx for non-binary on forms, or have a quiet place in an airport for those in the neurodiverse and mental health communities.
Erika De Santi, Co-Founder and International Expansion Director at WeRoad, said “revenge travel is a thing” as the millennial generation are keen to make up for lost time during the pandemic.
She said Europe is more popular than pre-pandemic, as it opened up more quickly than southeast Asia, and travellers are lengthening their stay to make the most out of each trip, as they are aware of their carbon footprint.
Katie Gilsenan, Trends Manager at GWI, agreed, saying: “We are seeing a huge trend to making the most of now; people realise how time is precious and time is short…despite the cost of living and inflation, consumers will make room for must-have treats, and travel is part of that.”
De Santi said her team experiments with new social media to target younger travellers, using TikTok to showcase trips and testing BeReal.
Gilsenan said GWI research showed that reassurance is a key issue for many travellers, who put free cancellation/rebooking as their top priority.
—ENDS—
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Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2023. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes ILTM Arabia, ARIVAL Dubai, Influencers’ events and activations, ITIC, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country forums.
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Next event: Monday April 3rd to Wednesday 5th April 2023 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.
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