Millennials Show Growing Interest In River Cruising
by理查德·德·安布罗西奥(Richard D’Ambrosio)/
While many travel agents might view river cruises as a product to market to older travelers and families, an increasing number of Millennials are growing interested in cruising, and suppliers and agents are beginning to market more actively to them.
The Travel Corporation, for example, announced last year that it will be launching its Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, targeting travelers 18-40, through its new U By Uniworld. In a statement, Travel Corporation CEO Brett Tollman said the new sailings are aimed at defining “the river-exploring experience for an entirely new demographic.”
Uniworld’s move follows the increasingly strong interest Millennials have shown in cruising over the past three years.
MMGY Global的Insights副总裁史蒂夫·科恩(Steve Cohen)表示,其研究发现,所有千禧一代中有36%有兴趣在接下来的12个月内进行河流巡游。MMGY分解为子组,发现27%的年轻千禧一代(18-27)有兴趣在接下来的12个月内进行河流巡航,而40%的千禧一代(28-38)则感兴趣。
“I feel like everyone is looking for something new and different,” said Deborah Director, owner of her own Smartflyer affiliate agency in Boca Raton, FL, “and the river market is a new way to offer something different. Millennials like to do things their own way. Accessing a city from a river boat is more intimate.”
Director said Millennials have their own unique spin on river cruising; they want to travel in large groups. “They want to privatize the ships with their own groups, to personalize their experiences. Smaller venues like a river cruise can actually customize their experiences.”
So what are Millennials looking for on cruises that is different from the rest of the traveling population? The most significant differences are nightlife and fine dining; MMGY found that 78% of Millennials feel that nightlife is a key influencer of their choice of a river cruise, while 70% point to musical/comedy shows.
最接近的一个人群小组与他们相匹配的是Xers的67%受夜生活选择影响,还有65%的人想要音乐/喜剧节目。
借助其新的2018年路线,Uniworld将进行深夜海岸游览,以便千禧一代可以利用当地的夜生活和后来的早餐时间,为第二天晚些时候睡觉。根据MMGY的说法,有83%的千禧一代对地中海或欧洲巡航行程感兴趣。
科恩指出,在过去12个月中,至少有一次过夜前往赌场/游戏机构的千禧一代中的43%中,有31%的千禧一代在赌场河巡游中这样做。
“It doesn't surprise me that a lot of Millennials are taking cruises to gamble. You’ve got drinking, gambling, and no risk of a DUI. Sounds like a fun Millennial weekend to me,” he said.
In support of its announcement, Uniworld is using social media to promote U by Uniworld, using the hashtag #AllAboutU on Twitter, Instagram and the Uniworld Facebook page.
The campaign developed some initial excitement on the web. Kristin Bartkus Shy, a travel adviser at CTA Travel in Cerritos, CA, posted, “I've always wanted to go on a #rivercruise, but was afraid that I would be much younger than most of the people on the boat. Well, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, I am very excited for the upcoming U by Uniworld rivercruise for the #millenial #AllAboutU.”
“河流巡航现在向所有几代人开放!”在密歇根州Portage的Nikki Miller和Nikki Miller一起旅行。
Uniworld告诉beplay客服that the campaign was launched to garner suggestions and encourage conversation regarding “all aspects of the U by Uniworld experience, from the itineraries and excursions, to the amenities, dining, music and more. Uniworld believes that an open dialogue with those who are most likely to find the U by Uniworld concept compelling, inclusive of all social media platforms, will provide the most authentic and exciting product.”
Uniworld不会对计划于今年的任何特定于千禧一代的广告发表评论。当问TMR,它说:“作为第一家专门为新一代河流巡洋舰设计的河流巡航线的旅行公司,这是一件大事。我们计划今年与千禧一代对Uniworld对U产生很多意识和兴奋。”
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