Profiling the young Nordic travelers

YouGov’s latest report, “Youth of Today, Travel of Tomorrow” shows that globally 26% of generation Z (people aged 18-24) intend to spend more on travel in the next 12 months. The report aims to understand Gen Zs globally, explore what matters to them, uncover their travel expectations, and identify the best ways to connect and engage with this generation of travelers.

The Nordic Gen Zs differ as travelers, as they, among other things, make greater use of social media to plan holidays. One in five (21%) of Nordic Gen Zs use social media platforms to help plan their holiday. In comparison, only 12% of Nordics aged 25+ use social media in this context.

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On the other hand, fewer Gen Zs use specialized travel shopping websites compared to other generations. Only 14% of Gen Zs use this method to plan holidays compared to 28% of those aged 25+.

Nightlife influences Gen Zs choice of travel destination

The overall value for money has the greatest influence on the choice of holiday destination for all consumers in the Nordics. It is, however, less critical to Gen Zs. Not surprisingly, Gen Zs choice of destination is to a higher extent influenced by the destination’s nightlife than older generations. 15% of Gen Zs were affected by the destination’s nightlife when they purchased their last holiday.

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Skiing, surfing, and other sports facilities also play a more significant role for Gen Z’s in the Nordics when they pick a holiday destination. This influences 16% compared to 10% of older generations.

Spain is a popular destination among the Nordics

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Among Gen Zs in the Nordics, only European countries and cities make it to the top 5 destinations they consider traveling to by air. Among Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, Spain is the destination most Gen Zs consider going to by air. In Finland, it is Greece.

For almost one in three Gen Zs, the price prevents them from traveling

Furthermore, Gen Zs differs regarding factors that prevent them from traveling. The price keeps 30% of Gen Zs from traveling. In comparison, the price prevents 20% of other generations from traveling. The accommodation cost is also a significant obstacle to Gen Zs in the Nordics.

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The health risks of traveling affect consumers aged 25+ (39%) to a greater extent than generation Z (26%).

For more insights and analysis, download the full paper, Travel & Tourism Report 2022: Youth of Today, Travel of Tomorrow, here. 

Methodology

For this study, we connected research from our syndicated solutions, including YouGov Global Travel Profiles, YouGov Global Profiles, and YouGov BrandIndex, while also leveraging YouGov Custom Research.

The data from Global Travel Profiles used in this study is based on the interviews of 25,918 adults aged 18 and over across 25 countries in April 2022. All interviews were conducted online, and the results are nationally representative. The countries in the poll include Australia, France, Germany, India, the UK, the US, China, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Finland, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Global Profiles tracks 1,000+ questions in 43 major markets, offering the largest globally consistent audience dataset. Sample sizes in Global Profiles vary for each market; however, we endeavor to have a minimum of c. 1000 per market, and in many larger markets, we will have a larger sample. Data were collected in April 2022.