How do Austrians travel, where and for how long? What reasons stop them from doing so? And what does her age have to do with it?
The study commissioned by DERTOUR Austria from the Ipsos Institute at the end of 2024 provides answers and shows the differences but also the similarities between the generations. The almost 1,000 respondents come from the generations “Baby Boomer” (born between 1953 and 1964), “Generation X” (born between 1965 and 1979), “Generation Y / Millennials” (born between 1980 and 1994), and “ Generation Z” (born between 1995 and 2010).
The study’s most important travel trends and their impact across generations
All generations are looking for rest and relaxation, and Europe is the number one holiday destination.
The most popular travel destinations for respondents in the last 12 months were Austria, followed by Italy, Croatia and Germany. Spain is particularly popular with Generation Z (almost 19%), while Generations X, Y and Z like Italy about the same.
Almost 10% of those surveyed have taken a long-distance trip in the last twelve months, mainly to the USA or Thailand. There are no differences between generations when it comes to the popularity of long-distance travel.
The average is up to 3 vacation trips a year, with an average travel time of 6 days. We prefer to stay overnight in a hotel and take our partner with us. Trips in Austria or neighboring countries are significantly shorter (long weekend), while long-distance trips, unsurprisingly, usually last 2 weeks or more.
Boomers can afford to see the world and also have the money and time to travel. Gen Gen Z still wants to discover the world and also expects employers to make business trips part of the job.
Price sensitivity: For 71% of those surveyed, the decisive factor for booking is currently the price, followed by additional services such as on-site parking (50%), wellness offers (46%) or extended check-in/check-out (37% ), which Gen Z specifically appreciates. A lack of money is also the main reason why people don’t go on vacation for all generations.
People are also thinking about conscious travel: for almost 60%, sustainable travel is at least “somewhat important”. Around a third say they are willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly trip. However, this is usually not reflected in reality. Willingness is significantly higher among the youngest respondents (Gen Z) (50%).
All generations get information and inspiration primarily online, for example via websites, travel platforms or social media; the use of AI is still in its infancy. Gen Z primarily uses social media.
A look at the federal states
Viennese travel most for business purposes, obtain significantly less information from travel agencies and travel significantly more often to France and less to Croatia. Carinthians travel significantly more often over the weekend and prefer hotels to other accommodations. Social media and travel blogs/Substacks are the least interesting for them when it comes to information about vacation destinations. Styrians are particularly fond of Croatia and cite “time constraints” as the biggest obstacles when going on holiday. People from Salzburg travel most often for business and, in comparison, are most interested in the topic of sustainability. Vorarlbergers travel significantly less often to Croatia, Tyroleans travel particularly frequently to Italy. For Burgenlanders, the right travel time is the focus of considerations. In comparison, Upper Austrians place the least value on cultural events and book significantly more often via online travel platforms. In comparison, Lower Austrians place the most value on amusement parks at their holiday destination, and they are least looking for a romantic ambience.
Background:
The DERTOUR Generations Travel Study was conducted online in November 2024 by the market research institute Ipsos with 1,012 people from the Austrian population aged 15 to 70.