From the Nuremburg, Germany-based marketing research firm GfK, the results from a couple of surveys—one recent and one not-so-recent—offer some keen U.S. travel suppliers who want to tailor product to what their customers from key markets want and don’t want.
Get this: more than travelers from other key markets, Brazilians want to relax; and more than travelers from other key markets, the Chinese want to stay connected via the Internet.
First, the relax-vs.-active equation. Based on the results of a 17-country online survey conducted by GfK, we know these facts:
—Internationally, 59 percent of people prefer a relaxing vacation.
—35 percent prefer an active vacation.
—Just 6 percent are not sure which type they prefer.
—Teenagers are the most energetic, with 43 percent preferring active vacations.
There is next to no difference between men and women when it comes to relaxing.
—Men are potentially very slightly more lazy in their holiday choice than women, with 60 percent of men preferring a relaxing vacation.
—Meanwhile 58 percent of women prefer a relaxing vacation.
—For active holidays, however, men and women stand neck-and-neck at 35 percent each.
For those with children under six years old in the household, or those with children aged between six and twelve,
—Just under two thirds (62 percent) favor relaxing vacations and just over a third favor active ones.
—For people with teenagers in the household, relaxing holidays become slightly less popular, falling to 57 percent, while active holidays rise to 39 percent.
Internationally, the biggest differences we are when it comes to age groups.
—Teenagers are the most inclined to favor active holidays, with 43 percent selecting this and 51 percent preferring a relaxing holiday.
—The preference for active vacations then drops steadily with each age band, ending with those aged in their fifties, and those aged 60 or over, with both standing at just one third (33 percent) favoring active holidays.
—The age group with the highest percentage saying they prefer relaxing holidays is not the oldest two age groups; it is those aged in their forties, standing at 64 percent. Compare this to those aged 60 or over, where 57 percent say they favor relaxing vacations.
Among nations,
—Italy (45 percent), France (44 percent) and Spain (43 percent) lead in having the highest percentage of their online population who prefer active vacations where they do and see lots of things.
—In contrast, Brazil (71 percent), South Korea (66 percent) and Japan (also 66 percent) lead for having the highest percentages preferring a relaxing vacation where they take it easy.
Is it Important to Stay Connected while on Holiday? Based on the results of another survey that covered 22 countries, it appears that travelers from the UK—it is the largest overseas source market for the U.S. inbound tourism industry—prefer to disconnect while on holiday. For Chinese travelers, more than travelers from any other key source market. We prepared the following table based on the survey’s results.
