Millennials travel statistics and trends infographic

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With millennials now making up over 30% of the world’s entire population, they are very much the ones setting new trends and reshaping the way we view travelling, with a lot of countries and cities now being more popular than ever, thanks to this generation.

While Generation Z will soon be taking charge in terms of dictating what areas are most popular for tourists to visit, as of right now, it is the millennials born during the 1980s and 1990s who are going on the most adventures, which is why their statistics are so important.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at how exactly millennials enjoy travelling, and how this has changed from previous years, to better understand what trends are beginning to emerge and become the most prevalent within the tourism industry.

Essential Millennial Travel Statistics 2022/2023

Here are some of the basic statistics regarding millennials and the massive role they play in the world of travel and tourism.

  • 85% of millennials say that they prioritise travelling to destinations which would have a minimal effect on the environment in 2023
  • 82% of millennials travelled abroad in the past 4 years compared to 75% in other generations
  • On average, millennials take 5 trips per year. In comparison, Gen Z take 4.4, Gen X take 4, and Boomers take 3.5
  • 97% of millennials will post about their journey on social media apps including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat
  • 45% of Airbnb customers in all of 2022 were millennials
  • Compared to baby boomers, millennials are 72% more likely to make the same amount of travel plans, or more, in 2022 and 2023 than they did pre-pandemic

Data And Statistics On Why Millennials Travel

Millennials travel statistics and trends - Infographic

It’s clear from the statistics above that millennials are by far the most prominent and relevant group in terms of travel, and they are the ones generating the most revenue for the tourist and travel industry in general.

However, what is it that encourages millennials to travel in the first place? Here is what the statistics from the last 2 years tell us.

  • 47% of millennials have claimed that they have planned an entire trip around visiting a specific restaurant in 2023
  • 62% of millennials prioritise visiting a location where they can focus on personal wellness
  • 87% of millennials state that their booking decision was heavily influenced by Facebook, while 46% claim that they decided to travel to a destination after seeing it on Instagram
  • Over 70% of millennials admit to being inspired to visit a destination after seeing it on a TV show, a news source, or in a movie
  • Travel apps are used by 75% of millennials when booking a trip to a new destination
  • 45% of millennials admit to organising a trip for the purpose of visiting a food festival
  • 60% of millennials want to visit a destination with an authentic culture, while 80% state that they want to travel somewhere where they can learn and educate themselves
  • 40% aim to visit a location with a beach in the next year
  • In 2022, 67% of millennials said that they would like to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip at some point in the next year

One emerging trend that we can immediately notice, and that will no doubt only grow as statistics for Generation Z start to become public, is the incredibly important influence of social media and popular culture on travel decisions.

This, paired with the absence of travel caused by the pandemic, has given millennials plenty of reasons to explore other areas of the world as much as they do.

Where Do Millennials Travel?

In terms of where these travel destinations actually are, while there are many that have remained consistently popular such as Spain, the UK, and France, there are many others that have also seen a huge surge in attention over the past 2 years.

Here are the 5 destinations that saw their trend increase the most for millennial travellers in 2022 and early 2023.

  • Bora Bora (+24%)
  • Saint Martin (+22%)
  • Aspen, Colorado (+18%)
  • Denpasar, Indonesia (+16%)
  • Kahului, Hawaii (+16%)
  • Dublin, Ireland (+13%)

What should be noted here is that sunny tropical-esque islands are skyrocketing in popularity, seemingly replacing the big and bustling cities that have been so popular among previous generations.

Out of the cities that are receiving more attention, such as Dublin and Aspen, these contain a tremendous amount of culture and historical significance rather than being idolised as sunny getaway destinations.

Here are a few other destinations that mutravel.com has cited to also have remained very popular among millennials over the last few years.

  • Cinque Terry, Italy
  • Luberon, France
  • Riga, Latvia
  • Seville, Spain
  • Hokkaido, Japan
  • Cusco, Peru
  • Arenal, Costa Rica
  • Guilin, China
  • Zanzibar, Tanzania

How Much Do Millennials Spend On Travel?

Travel Money

There are some incredibly interesting and revealing trends that have emerged in regard to what has inspired millennials to travel and the destinations they decided to visit, but what might be the most fascinating of them all is how much millennials actually spend.

Here is the average expenditure each generation spends per trip, recorded from 2020-2023:

  • Baby Boomers –  £4941
  • Gen X –  £4065
  • Millennials – £3327
  • Gen Z – £2240

Industry data has also shown that millennials tend to have much lower budgets compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X, with their average summer vacation spending money being around £1103 minus the airfares.

In comparison, Generation X spend around  £2628 on their summer vacations, and Baby Boomers spend roughly £1353.

It is clear that millennials are much more cautious about how they spend their money compared to previous generations, which can be accredited to the financial troubles that can come with trying to maintain the cost of living at home.

There is also the burden of student loans which has put even more stress on millennials’ budgets and financial freedom.

This has made it extremely difficult for them to spend as liberally compared to baby boomers for example who worked at a time when economic conditions tended to be a lot more favourable.

How Do Millennials Enjoy Travelling? (Solo Or In A Group)

Travel destinations

While there are many millennials who enjoy travelling solo, the majority of this generation has also emphasised the importance of embarking on a journey with friends by your side, making tourism and travelling seem like a much more sociable activity in recent years.

Here are some of the major stats that represent this trend:

  • 60% of millennials have stated that they would like to solo travel in 2022/2023, which is slightly higher than the 58% in 2020/2021
  • 1 in 4 millennials and Gen Z members said they are planning to travel alone in the next year
  • 58% of millennials enjoy travelling with friends and in big groups
  • 69% of millennials plan trips that take place over the weekend, compared to previous generations where only 13% are expected to

We can see from these statistics above that the millennial generation is most concerned with personal growth and learning when arranging their travelling plans which is reflected in how solo travel is becoming much more popular as the years go by.

That isn’t to say that travelling with friends is any less relevant however, as it is still very popular among millennials, especially considering how easy it is to establish travel plans with friends from around the world through social media.

This is also evident when looking at how much more millennials tend to travel on the weekend when compared to previous generations. These quick and often last-minute journeys are a great way to relax with a few friends, so sociable travelling has definitely grown in its appeal over the generations.

However, it is the astronomical rise of solo travelling that seems to be the most fascinating and intriguing trend that has been revealed by studying millennial travel data.

Travelling for this generation has shifted slightly from simply relaxing in warm weather, to becoming an experience which is seen as a great opportunity to empower and allow a person to experience the world in a way that can change their outlook on life in general.

Summary

There is so much we can learn about the current state of travelling when analysing statistics and data related to millennials, the most dominant group in the world of tourism today.

While social media has become an enormous factor in regards to where people are most likely to visit, a cultural emphasis on mental health and general well-being has also made solo travelling far more popular among this generation when compared to previous ones.

Due to the rise of living costs and the pressure of student loans, data has also shown that millennials spend a lot less while on a trip compared to other generations.

We can only expect many of these trends, especially those related to social media and the internet, to continue and become even bigger when more travel data is available for Generation Z.

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