CEO, E Tourism Frontiers Damian Cook noted that the tourism industry expects millennials to be the first group of people to begin travelling again post-pandemic. Cook noted that the age group currently is the largest market and is a trendsetter across the industry.
He said, “The millennial travellers will be the first to start travelling. Older travellers are seeing how millennials are travelling and getting on board.”
“We are seeing the rise of the millennial market. People aged between 24 and 39 who are the predominant market for travel.
Their behaviours of having grown up online have given them a different way of perceiving destinations. They are not seeing those television commercials and print advertisements. They are consuming and purchasing online.”
Cook was speaking at the ‘Building Destination Image for Post Covid Tourism Revival’ organised by Sri Lanka Tourism and Advocata held on 11 December. Cook noted that past trends in tourism have been accelerated during the COVID-19 period.
Cook said, “We have seen a lot of shifts in travel and tourism in the last five years and we need to consider this in the recovery from COVID-19 as well.”
Millennial tastes were described as being more diverse than other age groups. Cook said, “They have become very used to customize their choices. We have seen a breakdown of the mass tourism model. They don’t want to board a cruise ship.” “Instead of a magazine commercial they are viewing images on Instagram, not just one image but thousands of photos, and they are finding the images that appeal to them. They are booking with smaller tour operators and while at the destination.”
Cook advocated a digital strategy as people were no longer viewing television advertisements.
Cook said, “It is not about one campaign or one brand image for Sri Lanka.
It is about multiple campaigns presenting different elements of the destination to different experiences.”
Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Kimarli Fernando noted that Sri Lanka’s advertising image had been based on ad-hoc decisions.
She noted that the ending of the civil war released a lot of demand into the Sri Lankan market. Fernando, “going forward we are looking at something different.
We are looking at experiences rather than countries.
We have already started. Whether it is wellness, Ayurveda, adventure, food, and culture.”
