Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Market overview
- Top takeaways
- What parents want in a vacation
- Family visits and theme parks are popular vacation activities
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- Figure 1: Activities done on family vacations, November 2019
- Sea lions, tigers and Big Bear, oh my!
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- Figure 2: Views of vacation activities as being good for both kids and adults, November 2019
- Parents are willing to weather crowds to meet destination goals
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- Figure 3: Attitudes about travel trends, November 2019
- The more you go, the more you know
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- Figure 4: Attitudes about conscious travel, by age group of all children, November 2019
- What drives parents’ vacation choices
- Parents increasingly find inspiration from social media
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- Figure 5: Inspiration through social media, by age group of parent, November 2019
- Vacations are all about escape
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- Figure 6: Top motivations for traveling with kids, November 2019
- Time is more of a travel constraint than money
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward family vacation logistics, November 2019
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- More robust family vacations start at $75K HHI
- Beaches are a bingo
- Travel is a high priority, and travelers spend like it
- Declining fertility rates contribute to changing definition of family
- PTO usage is increasing
The Family Vacationer
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- Middle-class suburbanites are prototypical domestic vacationers
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- Figure 8: Vacationer demographics, November 2019
- Parents travel with more than their partners and kids
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- Figure 9: Vacation companions, November 2019
- Traveling with kids is more feasible for high income households
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- Figure 10: Children as travel companions, by household income, November 2019
- Multigenerational travel most attractive to young parents
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- Figure 11: Extended family as travel companions, by age of parent, November 2019
Market Perspective
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- Parents are very positive on beach vacations
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- Figure 12: Parental perceptions of vacation types, October 2019
- Travel is a popular way to spend extra money
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- Figure 13: Spending extra money on travel, parents vs non-parents, 2018-19
- Per-vacation spending is up among parents
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- Figure 14: Per-vacation spending among parents, 2015-19
Market Factors
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- Declining fertility rates contributes to redefinition of “family”
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- Figure 15: US general fertility rate, 2010-18
- Figure 16: Percentage of each generation that celebrates “Friendsgiving,” March 2019
- Workers are taking more time off
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Emerging destination trends are applicable to families
- Disney has a very effective upcoming project
- Homeshare companies target families
- Parks may be in trouble
- A look ahead into the future of family vacations
What’s Happening
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- Destination trends
- New Disney hotel is a destination far, far away…
- Homeshares and vacation rental companies going after families
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- Figure 17: Vrbo YouTube ad, retrieved December 2019
- Figure 18: Airbnb “Healthy Tourism. Stronger Cities.” online ad, retrieved December 2019
- TikTok, time for vacation
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- Figure 19: San Diego Zoo and Monterey Aquarium TikTok Duet
- NPS: Nature Privatized Soon?
The Future of Family Vacations
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- Driver: Experiences
- 2020
- 2025
- 2030
- Driver: Identity
- 2020
- 2025
- 2030
- Driver: Technology
- 2020
- 2025
- 2030
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Family visits and theme parks top vacation activities
- Social is growing as an inspiration source
- Vacationers like the universal appeal of public areas
- Escape and learning are primary reasons to take time off
- Time is a bigger factor than money
- Travel trends are parent trends
- Vacations serve as field trips
- Tech is seen as problematic
Vacation Activities
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- Family visits, theme parks are big travel to-dos
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- Figure 20: Activities done on family vacations, November 2019
- Different vacation habits for different incomes
- Opportunity to market activities at lower price points
- Theme parks have a strong proposition across income levels
- Live events appeal to higher income travelers
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- Figure 21: Activities done on family vacations, by household income, November 2019
- Teens and young kids go to theme parks, but alternatives exist
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- Figure 22: Activities done on vacation, by age group of all children, November 2019
Activity Enjoyment
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- Public areas are universal attractions
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- Figure 23: Views of vacation activities as being good for both kids and adults, November 2019
- Parents think kids want to be educated, hydrated
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- Figure 24: Views of vacation activities as being for kids, November 2019
- Parents think kids aren’t into shopping and tours
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- Figure 25: Views of vacation activities as being for adults, November 2019
- How to keep your teen interested
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- Figure 26: Views of vacation activities, by age group of all children, November 2019
- The great outdoors is child’s play
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- Figure 27: Views of national/state parks, by age group of all children, November 2019
Family Vacation Inspiration
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- Personal networks, social media are the most important sources of inspiration
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- Figure 28: Sources of family vacation inspiration, November 2019
- Social is increasingly important in the future
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- Figure 29: Inspiration through social media, by age group of parent, November 2019
- Moms want more personal recommendations
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- Figure 30: Sources of family vacation inspiration, by gender of parent, November 2019
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- Figure 31: Qualities of a good influencer, by gender of parent, December 2018
- Big groups turn to Facebook
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- Figure 32: Usage of Facebook for vacation inspiration, by number of children under 18 in household, November 2019
Reasons for Vacationing with Kids
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- Vacations are, above all, an escape
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- Figure 33: Top motivations for traveling with kids, November 2019
- Gifting travel higher among parents under 35 and larger families
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- Figure 34: Gifting as a travel motivation, by age group of parent, by number of children, November 2019
- Kids develop travel lists as early as 6
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- Figure 35: Choosing destinations based on kids, by age group of all children, November 2019
- Figure 36: Kids' influence on vacation decisions, by age of children in household, November 2017
- Learning on-the-go is more appealing with parent (and child) age
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- Figure 37: Desire to use vacations to teach, by age group of parent, November 2019
- Passing experiences down is important early
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- Figure 38: Sharing experiences, by age group of all children, November 2019
Attitudes toward Vacation Logistics
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- Work creates funding, but not time, for vacations
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- Figure 39: Attitudes toward family vacation logistics, November 2019
- Dads feel more pressure
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- Figure 40: Attitudes toward family vacation logistics, dads vs moms, November 2019
Attitudes toward Travel Trends
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- Families follow overall travel trends
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- Figure 41: Attitudes about travel trends, November 2019
- Pop culture is a hook for kids and pre-teens
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- Figure 42: Pop culture as a destination influence, by age group of all children, November 2019
- TikTok users are the biggest pop tourists
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- Figure 43: Interest in pop culture destinations, by social platform visited daily, November 2019
Educational Value of Family Travel
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- Family trips are learning opportunities
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- Figure 44: Attitudes about conscious travel, November 2019
- Never too old or young to learn a lesson
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- Figure 45: Attitudes about conscious travel, by age group of all children, November 2019
- Internet for me but not for thee
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- Figure 46: Attitudes toward connectivity on family vacations, November 2018
- Younger parents feel more need to converse with their social audiences
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- Figure 47: Attitudes toward connectivity, by age group of parent, November 2018
- Tech is sticky
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- Figure 48: Attitudes toward kids and tech, by age group of all children, November 2018
- Figure 49: ClubMed email, sent November 2019
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 50: Annual births and general fertility rate, 2009-18
- Figure 51: Per-vacation spending among parents, 2015-19
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