Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

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Social media use Student accommodation Activities in destination How much do they spend? Hostelling International Why are they travelling? Barriers to travel Accommodation How do they book? 3rd party websites Hostels Who are they? What motivates them? Backpackers Mobile bookings Hotels Culture How do they book? Flashpackers YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION USAGE Based on the findings from the New Horizons lll Survey EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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This extract from the WYSE Travel Confederation New Horizons III survey contains data on Youth Travel Accommodation demand in 2012/13. The main sectors covered in this report are Apartments, Independent Hostels, Hostelling International Hostels, Hotels and Student Residences.

Transcript of Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

Page 1: Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

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YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION USAGEBased on the findings from the New Horizons lll Survey

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Page 2: Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

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Author: Tourism Research and Marketing

Survey Manager: Laura Daly

Title: New Horizons III - Youth Travel Accommodation Usage Report

Publisher: STAY WYSE

Published: September 2013

Design: WYSE Travel Confederation

Printing: Worldwide Printing Solutions Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia

YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION USAGE

BASED ON FINDINGS FROM NEW HORIZONS lllWYSE Travel Confederation and STAY WYSE Association are committed to understanding the ever changing characteristics, motivation and needs of young travellers.

The Confederation and STAY WYSE gather, analyse and share important research data and market intelligence with their members, academics, corporate and government decision-makers, and the general travelling public.

This extract from the New Horizons survey contains data on Youth Travel Accommodation demand in 2012/13.

The main sectors covered in this report are Independent and Hostelling International Hostels, Hotels, Student Residences and Apartments.

Our investment in research and market intelligence informs the policies, services and products which make international travel and educational experience exciting, safe, accessible and affordable for young people.

Please visit www.staywyse.org for more information about the STAY WYSE research programme and how to become a member.

Page 3: Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

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INTRODUCTION

This extract from the WYSE Travel Confederation New Horizons III survey contains data on Youth Travel Accommodation demand in 2012/13. The main sectors covered in this report are Apartments, Independent Hostels, Hostelling International (HI) Hostels, Hotels and Student Residences.

This research is based on data gathered from consumers, and therefore compliments and adds to the research already conducted by STAY WYSE (2012) on the supply side of the industry.

Much recent research in accommodation in general, and Youth Travel Accommodation in particular, points to the rapidly changing face of consumer demand.

“The IHG Kinship economy” report (2013) from the InterContinental Hotels Group indicates that the role of accommodation is changing as travellers become more tech savvy and are increasingly seeking experiences that will help them to develop relationships with others. New forms of ‘relational travel’ are helping to transform traditional accommodation value chains into more extensive ‘value webs’ (that include many non-tourism elements, such as the local community) faster than ever before (UNWTO, 2011).

Increasingly, business and leisure travellers will start carrying new high-tech ‘accessories’. These portable sources of information have radically changed the way in which people search for and book accommodation. The trends observed in the New Horizons research indicate that mobile bookings will increase rapidly in future.

One in four travellers have used social networking sites to plan their travel while 45% have made travel plans based on reviews and experiences of others. This is true of both leisure and business travel. One in three business travellers posts reviews online of properties they stay at (Google & Ipsos Media, 2011). Other “Google & Ipsos Media” (2012) surveys indicate that almost a quarter of af� uent leisure travellers currently book accommodation via a mobile device.

In contrast, “Traditional travel publishing has been in decline in the UK over the last seven years: overall, guide sales have fallen by 30% during this period.” It is also having an impact on the way in which young people use and experience accommodation:

“Hotels could be used as local community hubs, for example with local bands and artists coming and performing, meaning that the hotel has much more connection with the community. This is why people like boutiques at the moment – people want to experience the local.”

In many ways the traditional hotel sector is now starting to mimic the relationship building function that has long been at the heart of the Youth Travel Accommodation product and which is particularly important for hostels. The continued blurring of boundaries between different forms of accommodation means that Youth Travel Accommodation suppliers have to face new areas of competition, particularly from budget hotels and apartments. However, the changing landscape of youth travel also presents new opportunities. As the New Horizons research shows, new forms of accommodation such as couchsur� ng are not replacing the traditional hostel – they may even be driving new areas of hostel business. For example, 37% of couchsurfers also stayed at HI

RECENT ACCOMMODATION RESEARCH

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Hostels while travelling, and 67% also stayed at an independent hostel. Because these people also travelled more and spent more on accommodation than the average young traveller, they also spent more money on accommodation in total. As hostels are also now often functioning as gathering places for couchsurfers in some cities, this also represents an income opportunity.

A recent HostelBookers Survey on “Why Women Travel Solo” (2013) indicated that women still love to travel alone. In common with the � ndings of the New Horizons survey, the women surveyed by HostelBookers balance their desire for freedom and adventure with a healthy sense of caution. “Freedom” (28%), a “sense of adventure” (17%) and “learning about yourself” (15%) were cited by respondents as the top reasons for travelling solo. 64% stayed in hostels, underlining the bene� ts of hostels as cheap places to stay where you can meet new people and become part of a community of travellers.

Hostel statistics from different parts of the world indicate stable or growing demand in spite of the economic crisis. European HI Hostel members reported over 26 million bednights in 2012, an increase of 6% compared with 2010. In New Zealand, independent accommodation overnights increased 2.9% in May 2013 compared with May 2012 and occupancy levels increased by 2.3% points.

Major commercial hostel groups are now challenging budget hotels, according to a report from HVS (Douglass, 2013). The report indicates that the top 10 groups in Europe including A&O, Meininger and Generator now have a total of more than 35,000 beds spread across 100 properties.

RECENT ACCOMMODATION RESEARCH

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METHODOLOGY

The data for the New Horizons III research was collected via email solicited web-based questionnaires. The email addresses of people using or enquiring about the services of youth travel companies were used to generate responses. An incentive of a draw to win an iPad was used to increase response rates. The survey was distributed by WYSE Travel Confederation members through email, social media, newsletters and website postings, with over 300 active links collecting data.

The link to the survey was made available in English and Spanish versions between August 2012 and January 2013. During this period some 34,000 responses were collected, a signi� cant increase on previous surveys in 2002 (2,300 responses) and 2007 (8,500 responses). In order to ensure a representative picture of global youth tourism was obtained, where global data are analysed the data have been weighted by visitor origin to re� ect the distribution of global outbound tourism according to UNWTO data. Weightings were also applied to the data collected in previous years in order to compare survey waves.

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THE NEW HORIZONS SURVEY

The third New Horizons survey of global youth and student travel was conducted by the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSE Travel Confederation). The aim of the survey is to provide an overview of the global youth and student travel market, which was estimated to include over 200 million international trips in 2012.

The New Horizons research is the only consistent global survey of this important market. Since 2002 the survey has expanded in both scale and scope, and now represent responses from over 34,000 travellers in late 2012 and early 2013, draw from 137 different countries.

For the purpose of providing more customized reports relating to speci� c youth travel industry sectors, this report provides an analysis of the data collected from Youth Travel Accommodation users during the New Horizons III survey.

The data mainly re� ect questions asked about the last main trip taken by respondents during the 12 months prior to the survey. The vast majority of these trips will therefore have been made in 2012.

The accommodation sectors covered in the New Horizons survey are :• Apartment• Bed & Breakfast/Room in a private house• Campervan/Motor home• Couchsur� ng• Guesthouse/Pension • HI Hostels• Hotel• Independent hostel• Student residence• Tent/Caravan• Self catering accommodation

In addition respondents were asked if they had stayed with family, friends or used other forms of accommodation.

About 30% of those giving information on their accommodation use during their last main trip indicated that they had only used one type of accommodation. Much of the analysis is therefore based on this group, as their behaviour, motivations and spending can be directly tied to the type of accommodation used.

In order to provide suf� cient number of respondents for analysis, only the main categories of hostels, hotels, apartments and student residences will be considered in the current analysis.

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ACCOMMODATION USEThe main forms of accommodation used by young travellers in 2012/13 were hostels and hotels, which were both used by over 30% of respondents. There was a high degree of mixing between accommodation types, particularly between independent hostels and HI Hostel establishments.

Longer trips tended to involve a greater variety of accommodation types, and student residences tended to be used by those taking the longest trips, and hotels and hostels for the shortest trips.

ACCOMMODATION BOOKINGSAlmost two-thirds of bookings were made via broadband Internet, and all

Internet bookings now account for about 80% of the total, compared with 63% in 2007. Face-to-face travel agency bookings fell from 21% in 2007 to 15% in 2012. Third party websites accounted for a third of all bookings, direct bookings with accommodation providers for less than a quarter. Independent hostels tend to be most reliant on third party websites for bookings, whereas more HI Hostel bookings are made directly with HI Hostels.

ACCOMMODATION USER PROFILEYounger travellers tend to use hotels more heavily, make more bookings at travel agents and make more use of specialist youth travel agencies. Entering their twenties they make more use of hostels, make more online

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION REPORT 11

bookings and in particular use third party websites more often.

Students make most use of student residences and apartments, and book more often with specialist youth travel agencies. There were few signi� cant differences in accommodation use by gender, except that men tend to spend more on average than women owing to longer trips taken.

Respondents from Oceania used both hotels and independent hostels more than travellers from other regions. Eastern Europeans were most likely to use apartments and tended to book accommodation more via travel agencies. Asians made the most use of third party websites, Africans used general travel agents most frequently.

Travel style was clearly linked to accommodation use, with backpackers being found more often at independent hostels and tourists and � ashpackers making heavy use of hotels. Those who saw themselves as ‘locals’ used apartments most often and frequently used third party websites, along with backpackers.

The trend towards a more diverse clientele for Youth Travel Accommodation signalled in the STAY WYSE report in 2012 is con� rmed by the increase in tourists, � ashpackers and other traveller types using hostels.

MOTIVATIONS, ACTIVITIES AND BENEFITSTravel motivations varied according to the type of accommodation, with apartment guests being orientated towards exploring other cultures and experiencing everyday life, similar to independent hostel guests. For those using student residences, however, interacting with local people and increasing their knowledge were extremely important.

In spite of the heavily cultural motivations for travel, many of the activities undertaken remain mundane: shopping and sitting in cafes and restaurants were among the main

activities for all accommodation users.

Backpackers did more walking and trekking, HI Hostel guests were most likely to visit historical sites and hotel guests were most likely to spend time shopping.

The top bene� ts gained from travel were similar across all accommodation types, with a thirst for more travel, a greater appreciation of other cultures and more interest in learning about other cultures being ranked highest. In terms of overall bene� t perception, student residence guests scored highest, and hotel guests the lowest.

ACCOMMODATION SPENDINGThe average accommodation spending per trip was over 500 euros or around 22% of the total travel budget. This is a growth of over 40% compared with 2007, when accommodation spend accounted for just over 18% of the travel budget. Accommodation spending was highest for those travelling in Oceania.

In general accommodation spending rises in line with age, although for HI Hostels the under 20s spent most on average and for hotels there was a marked jump in spending for the over 30s.

Flashpackers lived up to their name by spending considerably more than the average, students tended to spend less.

THIRD PARTY WEBSITESThird party websites attracted more expensive bookings than other channels and also accounted for the largest booking share. Backpackers and � ashpackers were the heaviest users of third party websites, which also tended to be used by more highly educated and higher income users. Third party websites are most likely to be used for bookings in Europe, Asia and Oceania. Hostel guests use third party websites more than other travellers, and also spend more money on their bookings. Use of third party websites peaks among the 26-29 age group, and declines thereafter.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Keeping one step ahead comes naturally to us.

Meet your industry in hall 4.1: Youth Travel, Economy Accommodation, Adventure Travel, Responsible Tourism

5–9 March 2014 · itb-berlin.com

ITB_WYSE_Stiefel_210x152_en.indd 1 19.07.2013 14:27:53

Page 7: Youth Travel Accommodation Usage – Based on Findings from New Horizons

YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION REPORT 13

The Student Hotel is a new brand new concept combining the best of hotel, short stay and student accommodation. Our rooms, services, facilities and prices are ideal for flashpackers, summer schools,

language courses and international students. See for yourself on www.thestudenthotel.com. Or contact Frank Uffen for partnership opportunities. Call us today +31 20 422 8669 for a meeting!

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

AMSTERDAM 700 ROOMS

OPEN

ROTTERDAM250 ROOMS

OPEN

LIEGE150 ROOMS

OPEN

ROTTERDAM II240 ROOMS

OPEN 2014

THE HAGUE320 ROOMS

OPEN 2014

EINDHOVEN390 ROOMS

OPEN 2015

ENSCHEDE460 ROOMS

OPEN 2015

MAASTRICHT300 ROOMS

OPEN 2016

UTRECHT540 ROOMS

OPEN 2016

BRAZIL

OPEN 2016

I T ’ S A HOTEL AND A HOME . SOMEWHERE YOU CAN SLEEP, EAT, DRINK AND STUDY.

WhERE You LEArn AboUT l iFE . WHERE YOu CAN MEET nEW PEoPlE

AND MAKE NEW FR IENDS SOME Who’LL BE FriENDS FOr L I FE

Or EVEN L I FElONG PARTNErS . A PLACE YoU CAn PART Y oR PLAY P ING PoNG .

WORKoUT Or CHiLlOUT. WHERE YOU CAN WAKE-UP WITH FRESHLY BrEWED COFFEE

OR S imPLY rEST youR hEAd A F TEr A GREAT niGHT ouT.

CIT11002-01 Ad The Student Hotel 210x275.indd 1 8/15/13 4:17 PMYOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION REPORT 63

The results of the accommodation analysis derived from the New Horizons III research show that many of the trends identi� ed in the STAY WYSE supplier research are also evident in this consumer study. The Youth Travel Accommodation market is diversifying, not just because more hotels and apartments are being offered in the marketplace, but because different types of consumers are increasingly attracted to hostels and student residences.

The market growth seen in terms of the growing number of Youth Travel Accommodation suppliers is matched by the growth in accommodation spending by consumers. Part of this increase is probably due to the growth in average trip length in 2012 compared to 2007. Longer trips also allow young travellers to make use of a larger number of different types of accommodation, strengthening the diversity of the market.

Just as the previous New Horizons study in 2007 marked a period of rapid change in the youth travel market, with the rapid growth of the Internet and the rise of budget airlines, so the New Horizons III study also holds some potential keys to the future. The research already shows a rapid increase in social media as a means of gathering travel information. At present this has not translated into a large number of bookings directly via social media, but this is bound to change. Similarly, the � rst signs of mobile Internet bookings having an in� uence on the market are evident from the study � ndings, and again these are bound to grow rapidly in the next few years.

The growth of Internet and mobile bookings has strengthened the position of third party booking sites, particularly as a channel for hostel bookings. The increasing market power of these companies is evident in current debates about contractual arrangements between third party booking companies and accommodation providers. Third party bookings are likely to expand in the near future, as the current study indicates that there is potential for growth in many areas of the world.

All of these trends underline the dynamic nature of the Youth Travel Accommodation industry, which has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years and also looks set to enjoy further growth in the near future.

CONCLUSIONS

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The Sharing Market: Commercial Hostels in Europe. HVS, LondonDouglass, H. (2013)

Travelers’ Road to DecisionGoogle & Ipsos OTX Media CT (2011)

The role of mobile for the 2012 travelerGoogle & Ipsos OTX Media CT (2012)

Why Women Travel SoloHostelBookers (2013)

Tourism and creativity in the city. Current Issues in TourismRichards, G. (2013)

Youth Travel Accommodation Industry SurveyAmsterdam: WYSE Travel ConfederationSTAY WYSE (2012)

The power of youth travelMadrid: UNWTOUNWTO (2011)

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WYSE Travel Confederation would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for their valuable contribution to this report:

A special thank you to Greg Richards, Tourism Research and Marketing

NEW HORIZONS III SURVEY DISTRIBUTION• Hostelling International• Generator Hostels• BUNAC• STA Travel• StudentUniverse.com• CIEE• TAMWOOD• KILROY• Topdeck• Travel ALOTT• Intej• Praktikawelten• Smaller Earth• WISE Foundation

WYSE TRAVEL CONFEDERATION• Mauro Battellini• David Chapman• Laura Daly• Kun Ma• Natalia Walkuska • Carla Vaz

WYSE Travel Confederation would also like to thank all the survey participants.

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