New Research Shows Gen Y-ers Stop at Visitor Centers More Often

They know what they’re doing…but may not know where they’re going. At least that’s the indication for Generation Y-ers who stop at visitor information centers. According to a new drive market report, produced by SolutionsZ and Mandala Research, and sponsored in part by the Destination & Travel Foundation, Y-ers stop at roadside visitors centers more often than any other age demographic, but they’re not shopping for activities, they need directions!

Today, it seems that planning ahead is a thing of the past. About half of all travelers plan their transportation inside of two weeks and it seems that few use printed maps anymore (though AAA still offers a digital TripTik that is worth checking out). We know the trips are shorter, more long weekends than true 7-day vacations, which likely lowers the financial investment and possibly the perceived importance of planning ahead. Of course, rich content can be found online for virtually anything and everything you might want to do.

But with the Internet, we are often overwhelmed with too many options and will wait to the very last minute to make a decision. With that in mind, the Generation Y traveler hops in the car with a menu of possible activities and it’s not until they reach their destination that they finalize their agenda based on how they feel right at that moment.

Since they already know the activities, they don’t need the visitors center for that, but a local map and some knowledge on the best routing to get through their agenda is probably a good idea, particularly if you’ve ever tried navigating a map on one of those small screens on your handheld device! Also, there’s no guarantee that your device will work on those small roads off the beaten path. For more on the Drive 85 Study, click here.

Source: mydmai.destinationmarketing.org