The 18–40 Market: A Highly Heterogeneous Core Target Audience [ABO]

A brief look back at the history of tourism reminds us quickly that the first paid holidays granted to workers produced images that became iconic in holiday iconography.

On a bicycle, in beach attire, attempting awkward strokes, picnicking along lake shores… the earliest vacationers did not rush toward distant destinations, nor even toward close ones.

Most spent their free time not as they « could » but as they « knew » how to do it.

For the occupation of “vacations” by leisure activities and, in particular, travel, a know-how and above all a culture is required, which would only develop later, after World War II, with the emergence of mass destinations equipped to host mass tourism!

Read on this subject: Edgar Morin: toward a time of increasingly complex leisure

To such an extent that 600,000 reduced-fare train tickets were sold in 1936 and 1.8 million the following year! In a country inhabited by around 40 million people.

To return to the mythology of paid vacations in France, note that photos and documentary films from the Popular Front era show vacationers who were rather young.

How old were they? They were obviously part of the active population, hence over 14 years old.

Were they really considered young? Of course. But they were mainly “young adults,” already fathers or mothers, employees, workers, more or less educated… most of whom had little culture or experience of leisure time.

Times changed and compulsory education being set at 18, yesterday’s youths are not those of today.

Moreover, as marketing has entered our habits, consumer-behavior studies of vacationers increasingly dissect many population segments to target them more effectively. Children, adolescents, families, seniors, women, solo travelers, very high incomes, city dwellers, etc.: the list is long.

Thus, VVF in partnership with Ifop revealed a study on the 18 – 40 age segment that provides some quantitative and qualitative elements not to be neglected, though far from exhaustive. They poorly reflect the obvious differences between the 15 – 24 and the 18 – 34-year-olds traditionally used by study institutes.

Between a 25-year-old, single, employed and a 40-year-old family man with two young children, the differences are dizzying and clearly show up in their vacation consumption.

On one side, you can be a young startup entrepreneur, comfortably paid, teleworking from the other side of the world and making generous use of your credit card and last-minute flights, despite the appearance of an eternal backpacker, backpack on your back and multiple screens.

On the other, you’ll have a dad building sandcastles with two little ones or a single mother struggling to take care of her children.

It is also worth noting that the generation-based segmentation, which is far more qualitative, enjoys great prominence.

Generations X, Y, and especially Z have captured popular imagination. Everyone, almost, knows that Gen Z, currently aged 15 to 29, must be watched closely since they anticipate the behaviors of tomorrow.

Yet one must know how to segment them from their dominant attitudes:

– engaged

– pragmatic

– hedonistic

– ultra-connected

– creative…

And that is still not enough, since Publicis Media, for example, proposes a slightly different and more operational segmentation, based on the dominant personality traits of Gen Z and their consumption:

– the militants (impact and values)

– the shrewd (prices and promotions)

– the explorers (experiences and trends)

– the creators (influence and content)

– the ambitious (success and status)

– the securitarians (savings and stability).

In this labyrinth that we will revisit, set up by marketers, what does the Ifop/VVF study, which sought to learn more about vacationers aged 18 to 40, tell us?

First observation, according to this study: the majority of 18-40-year-olds treat themselves to at least one trip per year. But, for 38% of them, it is a single trip and mainly in summer. This does not mean that spring vacations are not beginning to emerge. On the contrary, 16% of those who travel do so, while 11% opt for weekends!

Fragmented, the “new departures” are undeniably linked to new working times and their new organizations, especially teleworking and the reduction of working time.

But budget remains the main concern this year, more than others: 86% worry about it and 55% see it as the main influencer on their vacation choices. With costs in mind: accommodation for 66% of respondents, especially the older ones.

Other noteworthy observations: 53% of young people imagine future vacations that are more environmentally responsible, but only 6% of respondents currently place environmental concerns as the main trigger for their vacation choices in light of the cost-of-living pressure.

And yet, returning to roots and nature constitutes the most widely supported projection for 62% of them… but in 20 years! A convenient way to excuse their current practices and, in particular, their urge to travel far!

Finally, it seems interesting to note that the model of vacations reproduced identically from generation to generation is eroding in favor of a more identity-driven choice. People no longer depart as they did in childhood.

It must be said that today’s offer is not only massive, but diverse, accessible and fully integrated into consumption. The urge for disruption is therefore enormous. Henceforth, “92% of young adults perceive at least one change in their way of traveling compared to their parents, with the destination becoming the main marker of this generational rupture.”

“A strong symbol of this emancipation, one in two French people (50%) aged 18 to 40 categorically rejects the idea of an imposed family tradition and does not wish to perpetuate their parents’ vacation rituals”!

Yet! Considering the number of young people who enjoy sharing their vacations with their parents to benefit from their lifestyle, financial help, and ability to take care of grandchildren, there would still be a lot to say on this topic!

There would be as much to say about differences between generational behaviors and ages or even about subjective ages…

In the face of these changes, the study highlights a very strong attachment to the holiday village model: 40% of respondents say they mainly choose this type of accommodation, far ahead of hotels (9%).

The holiday village reaches the same cumulative level as rental and camping combined.

This success rests on several strong expectations: the simplicity of organization, comfort, sociability and suitability for family stays.

The study thus reveals two major vacation models:

– an experiential and autonomous model, driven by rentals and camping;

– a more structured, reassuring, and family-oriented model embodied by the holiday village.

Journalist, consultant, lecturer, Josette Sicsic has been observing the world’s changes for over 25 years to analyze their consequences for the tourism sector.

After having developed the Touriscopie journal for more than 20 years, she remains at the front lines of current events where she decodes the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, Futuroscopie section, she publishes several times a week forward-looking and analytical articles.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]