As the school holidays approach, a recent report from Hilton has revealed just how significant a part children play in influencing family travel.
The Hilton 2025 Trends Report found that in Asia Pacific, 87% of Generation Alpha (born 2010- 2025) and Generation Z actively shape family travel plans. Hilton quips that the pint-sized travellers are key decision-makers in the booking process. And they are keen travellers too, with 78% of these youngsters expecting to travel at least once a year. It’s a trend being seen close to home as well, say the local retail travel chains. Patrick McCarthy from House of Travel Ponsonby Road notes that while the ‘bank of Mum and Dad’ funds the getaways, parents today often seek their children’s feedback when booking holidays. “Teens, but even younger kids, now want the travel talkability when they return from holiday,” he adds. An example of this can be seen in the growing booking momentum for Southeast Queensland into next year, says HoT’s head of Australia and South Pacific Julia Bozich, with hype around the Bluey’s World attraction as a new drawcard.
. . . Influenced
And while children are influencing parents, it’s social media that appears to be influencing the children. Flight Centre Travel Group’s air and product manager Jan Staples told Travel Today that Flight Centre’s research on how social media influences travel decisions, found that nearly half of Gen Z follow a social media ‘travelebrity’ and more than a third of those polled admitted that ‘travelebrities’ significantly elevate their travel aspirations. McCarthy echoes this sentiment, adding that social media inspiration is heavily influencing and driving Millennials and Gen Z’s travel research. “The younger generations now make wish lists of experiences seen by their favourite influencers from hidden bars in Seoul, to trending bubble tea in Taiwan, or eating authentic Crumbl Cookies in the US,” he says.