It is clear that multi-generational vacations are going to be a trend in the re-emergence of the travel industry. After months and months of canceled get-togethers, and postponements of celebrations, families are more eager than ever to spend time together. And what better way to reconnect than travel?
The question that remains is not if, but how those groups are going to choose to reconnect. How are larger families, a growing segment for the industry, going to want to travel over the next year or so?
The answer, according to travel advisor experts, is ocean cruising, a segment that has increasingly catered to multi-gen groups with accommodations, activities, and services all dedicated to making it the perfect multi-gen getaway.
In order to find out exactly what is going on in that segment, including what clients are saying and where the opportunity is, Travel Market Report launched its new Multi-Generational Cruise Travel Outlook for 2021, sponsored by the Royal Caribbean Group.
TMR surveyed a total of 684 travel advisors, including both agency owners and independent contractors, on the ins and outs of selling cruise vacations to multi-generational groups and the results showed what so many advisors have long known—that selling multi-generational vacations is a great way to boost commission and that ocean cruises remain the perfect product for those groups.
According to the survey, the share of multi-generation vacations in 2019 annual gross bookings was 26%. The potential of cruise travel as a standard multi-generation vacation is even higher, with an all-inclusive flavor, a wide range of onboard experiences, and more and more accommodations catering to families at a great value.
Aside from that potential, the results also found the reasons behind the popularity of multi-generational cruise vacations, who in the family is booking and paying for the vacations, what the typical group size is for the segment, what destinations are most popular, and what is driving the choice of cruise line.
The full outlook, which is available here, is a go-to guide about what advisors are doing in order to be successful in the multi-gen market, with advice from other advisors on breaking into the segment.
TMR wants to thank the Royal Caribbean Group, which includes Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, for sponsoring the research.