As I write this, I’m onboard a river cruise with Avalon Waterways in France, accompanied by my 21-year-old daughter, Sally. Because I’m a great father — and an opportunistic columnist — I told Sally that in exchange for this trip, she had to be my Gen Z travel focus group. She readily agreed (after an impressive eye roll).
The good news is that, according to Sally, Gen Z values travel — and a 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection report agrees, calling Gen Z the fastest-growing consumer segment in tourism. Sally’s friends constantly share vacation stories and already have extensive travel bucket lists. They might not do business with just any supplier, but if the company is promoting travel in an ethical way, they are ready to book — especially if they can get Instagram-worthy photos from it.
More good news for travel advisors is that Gen Z values personal experience. They want to hear from actual people who have taken trips and can share their tips. They are acutely aware of marketing tactics and are skeptical of shotgun sales approaches, especially those filled with false promises and empty taglines.
The challenge for advisors is that Gen Z’s main source for this information is social media — TikTok in particular. According to Sally, everything from where to eat to which companies live up to their promises is determined by what “real” people say on TikTok. And its searchable nature makes it more valuable than other platforms — even Google. So, if you do not already incorporate TikTok into your sales efforts, you should start.
Some of you may wonder why you should worry about this demographic, and I suppose if you’re retiring in the next year or two, you have a point. For the rest of us, it’s important to consider that Sally’s friends are starting post-grad programs and getting full-time jobs — so, it’s time to start shaping where and how they spend their growing travel budgets.
