August 4, 2021
.png)
Solo travelers, families, couples… there are endless types of travelers out there that are looking for fun travel experiences. Focusing on one specialty can be a great way to carve out a profitable niche for your tour. After all, a family of four with young children have different needs than a solo traveler. And oftentimes those needs are more than just the amenities you offer! Let’s explore each of these traveler types to get a real understanding of how you can serve them best.
You may already know that the majority of solo travelers are actually women. Solo travelers as a category make up 11% of the overall travel market, and it continues to grow. Of this segment, 25% of them are millennials. These travelers are seeking freedom and independence and enjoy not around for others. They travel to challenge themselves and improve their confidence. In a post-pandemic world, they plan to travel more often and take longer trips.
Over 50% of solo travelers are likely to take escorted tours and nearly 30% consider group travel style. It’s important to acknowledge the nuances amongst solo travelers, as some consider relaxation their number one motivator while others prioritize adventure. With this in mind, it’s essential to create a good balance in your experience that allows this type of traveler to move at their own pace. Build in peak moments of excitement but also downtime for R&R.
Particularly if you target American travelers, keep in mind that family dynamics are changing. Single-person households are on the rise and are predicted to continue rising in the years to come! This could be a lucrative market for you if feel called to cater to the solo traveler market.
44% of people aged 18-35 travel with their child. And while this is a huge tourism market, keep in mind that over half of traveling families opt for road trips, and 68% plan their vacations for summer. If you’re looking to do business year-round and are targeting people who need to get on a plane, this may not be the ideal segment for you.
That being said, COVID has introduced a concept of ‘flexcations’ where kids who are enrolled in school remotely can travel with a bit more flexibility in timing. It’s too soon to say whether this trend will continue as schools bring students back into a physical environment.
Overall, families tend to spend more on paid attractions and gravitate more to the beach. Their top priority is to keep their families entertained and happy, exploring new places together with the goal of bonding. 85% of Americans travel to “to see my child excited about the experience”. So if you’re looking to target families, creating special moments to excite the children is extra important.
One final note on families: targeting families with older children out of school would open up more calendar flexibility for you because they aren’t tied to school vacation schedules. They are also more likely to be open to air travel as their main mode of transportation.
There are endless opportunities to engage couples in travel, from honeymoons & anniversary celebrations to the DINK (dual income, no kids) segment. From 1976 to 2016, the percentage of adults living without children has increased by 19% to 71.3% of the US population. As for unmarried couples, or even just travel buddies, 79% of non-married couples say that sharing new experiences is an important reason to travel together, along with taking a break from the day to day and having an adventure.
But of course, sparking some sort of romantic connection is a major motivator for this segment (and has many bonding benefits as seen in the US Travel report linked above). DINKs in particular make for ideal lifelong customers, as they have disposable income from an early age and often strive for an early retirement. While other couples with children are busy traveling for their children’s sports and extracurricular pursuits, couples and empty nesters have their weekend calendar a bit more clear, making them great guests for weekend bookings.
Of course, there may be some differences in values, interests, and activity level between the young couple and the empty nesters. If you’re really looking to niche down, it may be worth your while to choose one over the other so you can really tailor it to their needs.
So as you can see, family dynamic and lifestyle choices have a drastic impact on travel and booking behavior. Trying to create an experience for all travelers is not recommended when these travelers and their priorities are all very different. If you’re adamant about creating experiences that appeal to everyone, we recommend creating packages for each of these segments. For example, consider creating a tour exclusively for solo travelers so that likeminded travelers can come together and bond over a similar passion.
Using Junglebee, you can effortlessly market multiple packages to prospective guests by showing them a handful of options at a time. Be sure to make it clear who each tour is for, so that all your customers leave happy!
