Regional survey by Marriott Bonvoy uncovers key traits of travel-oriented, value-driven Gen-Zs and Millennials
A survey by Marriott Bonvoy, the award-winning travel program of Marriott International, has found that a majority of Gen Zs and Millennials in Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) prefer the simplicity of belonging to one comprehensive loyalty travel program.
While 60% of APEC Gen Zs and Millennials are actively subscribed to loyalty programs, the challenge of juggling several loyalty programs has led most (57%) to seek out one program that meets all their travel needs.
Marriott Bonvoy carried out the survey of 1,000 respondents across ten markets in APEC to better understand the shifting attitudes of Millennials and Gen Zs and their travel behaviors. The survey identified an emerging generation of travel-focused, value- driven “Savvy Explorers” in APEC who seek to maximize their travel dollars and unique travel experiences.
Travel in 2024 is a priority for Gen Zs and Millennials: 73% report their intentions to take at least two trips in the next 12 months and 91% plan to spend the same, if not more, on their trips compared to the year before. Travel is viewed as an essential lifestyle component, and most are willing to reduce everyday spending on dining out (60%), shopping sprees (57%) and their daily coffee (54%) so as to spend more on a holiday.
“Survey results suggest that Gen Zs and Millennials in APEC are purposefully strategizing how they can channel value from their everyday spend toward rewarding travel experiences. They also prefer to be part of only one all-encompassing loyalty travel program which fulfills their needs.”
“To this end, Marriott Bonvoy – which gives members access to over 30 brands in 10,000 destinations — is well positioned to deliver greater value and unlock more experiences for Gen Zs and Millennials,” says John Toomey, Marriott International’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China.
“As testament to the program’s appeal, we have seen Marriott Bonvoy’s membership base in APEC grow by more than 50% since 2019. What’s more encouraging is that our members are highly active They earned 40% more points in 2023 compared to 2022, and are putting their points to good use, with points redemptions increasing by more than 55% in the same period,” he reveals.
The trend of greater member growth and activity extends to the Marriott Bonvoy app. APEC member enrolment via digital channels grew by more than 25%, with mobile app downloads and active users more than doubling in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The regional survey also uncovered notable trends amongst Gen Zs and Millennials across the 10 APEC countries. Market-specific trends can be found in Annex A.
