Coastal England: Are young people a ‘lost generation’? Perceptions, attitudes and booking patterns of the Under 35s visitor market to England’s coast
Market Intelligence
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Executive summary There is a significant growth potential for the English coast from the under 35s market. Contrary to fears, this segment is “not a lost generation but an unaware and uninformed one” when it comes to the English coast’s proposition. Seen by this market as a fun destination, it is well placed to deliver family holidays, ultra-short and short breaks and romantic escapes, with longer term opportunities for product development around activity and wellness holidays. National Coastal Tourism Academy’s (NCTA) research suggests that the English coast is not front of mind as a potential holiday destination for the under 35s, however the majority do not reject the English coast outright and there is significant growth potential. Within this market there are two key segments, family holidays and non-family holidays; having a child makes a significant difference to the planning cycle, motivations and facilities sought in a coastal destination. This report explains how the coast is currently meeting the needs of this age group and where the growth potential lies. 3
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Introduction & methodology The NCTA commissioned Olive Insight to look into the potential of the under 35s market as English coastal visitors combining both qualitative and quantitative research. Results from previous research suggested that the under 35s were less inclined to visit the English coast than any other age group. This was a cause for concern, as generally coastal visitors habitually return again and again.
If the under 35s were not visiting the coast could they be a lost generation? Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted spanning a mix of life stages in three different locations. The results were used to shape an online questionnaire completed by 1,500 respondents aged under 35. They represented a crosssection of ages, gender, origin, socio-economic group and family status. The results of the two stages of research are brought together in the following summary report.
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1500 Under 35s
completed an online questionnaire
NCTA
How often do under 35s visit the English coast?
63%
have visited the English coast in the last 3 years
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Compared to other trip types, visiting the English coast scores relatively well, with 63% of this age group visiting at least once in the past 3 years. Shorter trips were viewed as a particularly good coastal option, especially for the slightly older and family audience. Frequency of trips to the English coast also measures up well when compared to the rest of the UK and overseas short haul breaks.
Frequency of holidays by destination 63%
More than once in past 3 years 24%
28% 44%
51%
42% 19%
21% 23%
19% 22%
7%
8%
11%
9%
12% 6%
8% 3%
English coast
Rest of UK
15% 17%
13%
7%
6%
20%
8% 24%
12% 5% Short haul outside the UK
7%
9%
Mid haul
Long haul
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. 7
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Been once in the past 3 years None in the past 3 years, but I have been as an adult Used to, when I was a child, but not been since then Never have, but would like to Never have and would not like to
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How do under 35s currently view the English coast?
Many agreed with a number of positive descriptors of the coast as shown here. This indicates that if the English coast were more ‘front of mind’ this audience would be willing to ‘give it a go’. Descriptors of English coast as a holiday destination: all (agree strongly/ slightly applies)
Fun atmosphere Charming - a real sense of character Beautiful, unspoilt beaches & coast - natural beauty Great value Great accommodation options Has a sense of nostalgia Full of memories from when I have been as a child For people like me Unique - different to the coast in other countries More for people with children Romantic
79% 78% 77% 76% 75% 75% 73% 72% 71% 71% 64% 8
Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
There is a perception that the coast is good for:
Fun
An Escape
Nostalgia
Fresh air, change of scene reflection and relaxation
Recollection of time shared with parents when younger
Doing traditional things, beach experience, bonding
Shared culture & heritage A very British experience
Furthermore, almost everyone who has visited the English coast in the last three years would consider going again. However, a significant one third is indifferent about it. Would you visit the English coast for a holiday again?
30% Yes, maybe
1% No, definitely not 3% No, I don’t think so
Zone of indifference
67% Yes, definitely
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Perceptions of the English coast are a mixed bag of positive and negative as the word map above demonstrates. Interestingly, for this market some of these are seen very differently by sub-sectors of the market, for example ‘chavvy’ and ‘naff’ can have positive connotations. Childhood memories have a particularly strong influence on this market and their perceptions of the coast in early adulthood, therefore to improve long-term success destinations need to ensure they are family friendly. This is an influence that is also seen in other age ranges. Overall however, visiting the English coast is not front of mind for this age group. It is not currently something they aspire to, they don’t know what places there are to visit or what they would do when they get there. Generally they would prefer to go abroad. If they do know coastal destinations, they tend to be places close to where they live or their knowledge is dominated by the major seaside destinations. Most were aware of Blackpool, Brighton and Cornwall.
When asked what types of experiences and destinations there were on the coast, respondents tended to group coastal destinations into four types:
Traditional Party
Upmarket and quieter Totally rural
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Overwhelmingly, the English coast suffers from a lack of knowledge and clarity of message for the under 35 audience, with 78% saying there are “lots of other places I’m more interested in visiting” and 53% declaring that they “don’t know much about it”.
Whilst awareness and consideration issues dominate, the weather, competition from elsewhere and concerns about other types of people visiting the coast were all significant barriers for the under 35s. Further negative perceptions focus on a lack of (or lack of knowledge of) quality products; notably attractions, accommodation and dining options.
Reasons for not taking a trip to the English coast in the last 3 years
36%
Prefer going abroad Weather is unreliable
35% 29%
Don’t consider it 21%
Poor attractions 18%
Not much to do
17%
Run down Don’t know much about it
15%
Accommodation standard
15%
Type of people on holiday
13%
Stag / hen parties
10%
Poor food quality
10%
Unfriendly people No healthy food
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8% 6%
Awareness / consideration issues Service / infrastructure issues People issues
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What are the key segments for under 35 visitors to the coast? The under 35 audience can be split into five separate segments based on the frequency of visiting the coast and their attitude towards it. REJECTORS
ELUSIVES
TOLERATORS
ENJOYERS
ENTHUSIASTS
Never been to English coast and would not like to go
Never been but would like to
Been to the English coast on holiday in the past 3 years
Been to the English coast on holiday at least once in the past 3 years
Been to the English coast on holiday twice or more in the past 3 years
AND
AND
had a good (but not excellent) time
had an excellent time
OR Have been but would not like to go back
9%
OR Been as a child or adult but not in the past 3 years but would consider English coast as holiday destination
BUT had an average to poor time
31%
AND would definitely go to the English coast for another holiday
7%
24%
29%
Rejectors are more likely to be younger, male, pre-family and from higher socio-economic groups. Elusives are equally likely to be male or female, slightly more likely to be pre-family and from middle socio-economic groups.
Tolerators are more likely to be younger, male, pre-family, in education and from lower social-economic groups.
Enjoyers are more likely to be working and have average disposable income.
Enthusiasts are more likely to be female, slightly older, with children and have a slightly higher disposable income. 12
Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Positively, under 35s are not significant rejectors of the coast (only 9%). However, nearly a third are ‘Elusives’, they have no current relationship with the coast – this segment, combined with the large numbers of ‘Enjoyers’ who are positive about the coast but don’t presently have it front of mind versus other holiday types, present a real growth opportunity for the coast.
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Influencers & decision making Decision making in travel is particularly complex with a large number of potentially influencing factors. For this age group, the decision to visit the coast tends to be quite spontaneous and often in response to a special offer. Out of necessity, families with school age children tend to plan further ahead.
Social media is significantly influential for ideas and inspiration, enabling this audience to find out what there is to see and do and to check reviews. The research showed the most popular channels to be Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube but it also revealed how views towards individual social media sites are rapidly and constantly changing for this audience. Therefore, in deciding which channels to use to target this audience, it is essential to stay abreast with latest trends.
However, in terms of shaping attitudes towards the English coast for this market sector, other personal experiences and opinions of friends and family hold the greatest influence.
Influencers of perceptions & attitudes towards the English coast
Experiences of the English coast as a child Friends/family stories of holidays on the English coast
48% 48%
Experiences of the English coast as an adult
44%
My own prejudices / preconceived ideas
38%
Travel websites e.g TripAdvisor, CondĂŠ Nast, Lonely Planet, etc
32%
Photos / videos I’ve seen on Facebook
31%
What I have seen when searching on the internet for holiday ideas
27%
Articles I have read in magazines/newspapers Photos / videos I have seen on Instagram or Snapchat Photos / videos I have seen on Twitter Blog posts / web-based travel zines
Social media
23% 21% 17% 13%
Personal experiences
Print & online articles, papers, blogs
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
69%
Influenced by imagery seen on social media
Geo-tagging is popular on Instagram, it gives users an easy way to get a quick snapshot of an area through the images of others.
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What are the opportunities for the coast? Young adults take a variety of trip types which fulfil a different range of needs, and the English coast is suited more to some than others. Considering the holiday needs of the under 35s market, the English coast delivers in terms of fun, relaxation and bonding.
Holiday needs the English coast is delivering against
62%
Fun 51%
Relaxation 38%
Bonding experiences Being active
28% 24%
Romance 20%
Exploration 16%
A story to tell
15%
Celebrations An escape
13%
Indulgence
10%
Self knowledge
10%
An adventure
10%
Self development Status
8% 7%
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Interestingly, there is little difference in holiday needs across audience groups – everyone wants pretty much the same things from holidays… Although the devil is in the detail: ‘fun’ for a 20 year old is different to ‘fun’ for a young family!
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When considering the types of holidays and experiences under 35s are seeking generally, and whether they can be met on the English coast, the appeal is greater for low-key, low-energy breaks. Romantic breaks, a short break to a city, a family holiday, UK beach holiday or an ultra-short break are all sought after by this audience segment.
Holidays Under 35s would like to go on soon: Anywhere On the English coast Short break to a European city
54%
Beach holiday outside the UK
47% 49%
Romantic break
38% 39%
Family holiday
34% 40%
Short break to UK city
33% 39%
UK beach holiday
31% 39%
Short break to UK holiday park
26%
Visiting family, friends and staying with them
37% 25% 32%
Ultra short break i.e one night
23% 38%
Camping holiday or touring with car / caravan
22% 39%
Special occasion
21% 42%
Adventure / sports / activity holiday Event based holiday e.g music festival A lads / girls holiday Wellness A clubbing / party holiday Backpacking Design or art based break
20% 39% 19% 37% 16% 36% 14% 31% 13% 40% 12% 39% 11%
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
This means for quick wins, destinations and businesses wishing to attract under 35’s should focus on attracting them for: Beach holidays Romantic breaks Family holidays Ultra-short breaks (one night)
However, mid to longer term - active holidays, adventure sports and wellness breaks offer the greatest potential for product development for this market. This group wants things which enable them to: Explore Have adventures Have fun Do things that others don’t (status) Provide a sense of identity Have better quality experiences
To achieve this they need information on and access to: Things to do Interesting accommodation Better quality and more varied food Adventure activities Events that give social currency Ways to bond and facilitate group experiences More creative life – street art, galleries Weather proof activities for young children
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More generally there is a great deal of work that can be done to increase visits among the 84% of the under 35s market that are potential visitors – but they require very different strategies:
16% Rejectors & Tolerators
31% Elusives
Audience segment 29% Enthusiasts 24% Enjoyers
Enthusiasts (29%) – these are frequent visitors who love the experience, often have children so providers need to focus on family friendly activities – which will in turn have a generational effect by providing positive childhood memories.
“Charming” - 90%
“For people like me” - 90%
“Fun atmosphere“ - 89%
“Beautiful, unspoilt beaches“ - 89%
“Full of childhood memories“ - 87%
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
Enjoyers (24%) – these are aware of the coast and visit it but product development is required to improve their experience and hence satisfaction levels, as well as focussed marketing to raise awareness and motivate them to take action.
“Great value” - 86%
“Fun atmosphere” - 83%
“Charming“ - 81%
“Beautiful, unspoilt beaches“ - 79%
“For people like me“ - 78%
“Other places interest me more than the English coast” - 83%
Elusives (31%) – this group needs to be made more aware of the coast and its potential attractions in relation to other holiday destinations.
“Fun atmosphere” - 77% “Beautiful, unspoilt beaches“ - 77% “Unreliable weather“ - 74%
“Charming“ - 74%
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Summary and key recommendations The under 35s market has a diverse set of needs regarding holiday trips and they take a wide variety of types of trip. There is a lack of awareness of the English coast in general, but specifically on how it can meet their needs and the products and activities available to them. Short term, there needs to be a focus on increasing communications in areas of core strength for the English coast, namely ultra-short and short breaks, family holidays and romantic breaks. Mid to longer term investment in infrastructure to increase satisfaction levels and better communication to raise awareness and interest will provide the opportunitiy to open up the English coast to the under 35s and bring the coast more front of mind. Delivery of more high-energy holiday types and, in particular, activity and wellness holidays will be key to unlocking this segment’s growth potential.
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Are young people a ‘lost generation’ to the coast?
This audience need to be
‘enabled’ They don’t know:
But, their involvement is low
• • • •
• They are not that interested • There is a lot of competition • They need new reasons to consider a visit
Where is there to go? What is there to do? What types of places to visit? What to combine it with?
For travel inspiration they use: • • • •
All social media Voucher discount websites Vloggers & bloggers TripAdvisor to find out where to eat and what to do • Accommodation sites (cottages, cheap hotels)
But they need meaningful narratives / ways to navigate / to challenge perceptions and behaviours • • • • •
Packages Iteneraries Themes (food, art, adventure) Events that provide social currency Products for them!
They want better quality and more varied experiences than they are currently having or perceive they can have. 23
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For more contact John Carmichael john.carmichael@coastaltourismacademy.co.uk 01202 962 072 Publication date: April 2016 Version: 1.0 Copyright ‘Coastal England: Are young people a ‘lost generation’?’ © 2016 National Coastal Tourism Academy. All Rights Reserved.