Millennials, Gen Zs seen to lift travel demand

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines is banking on the youth to carry the travel demand this year, as they tend to involve their loved ones in their plans, increasing spending on trips.

Based on flight logs, AirAsia Philippines served more than 600,000 guests in January, tracing 92 percent of this total to millennials and Gen Zs who started the year ticking off destinations from the bucket list.

Diving deeper into the data, the airline said 58 percent of its January passengers are millennials, while 34 percent are Gen Zs, signaling the desire of people aged 18 to 43 to embark on trips.

AirAsia Philippines said forward bookings are increasing for February, March, April and May, reaching the 700,000 mark as of Feb. 1.

The most popular destinations for the coming months include Boracay, Cebu, Bohol and Puerto Princesa on the local side, and Taipei, Incheon, Osaka and Narita on the international end.

The airline noted that one in four travelers headed to these eight routes come from the youth segment.

By segment, AirAsia Philippines said 14 percent of these advance bookings were made by Gen Zs and 13 percent were accounted for by millennials.

AirAsia Philippines spokesman Steve Dailisan said millennials and Gen Zs prefer to travel with their loved ones, providing an additional push for the recovery of the tourism industry.

Dailisan added that these age groups tend to fly to island destinations, although similar to other demographics their goal is to reach foreign cities.

”We are extremely excited to welcome the energy that young travelers–Gen Zs and millennials alike—will bring as the travel profile diversifies,” Dailisan said.

“As shown in our data, beaches remain the go-to destination for those who’d like to have a quick getaway or relaxation with family. International destinations, meanwhile, remain the top bucket list destinations that await and excite travelers,” he added.

In a survey, travel app Klook said nine in 10 millennials and Gen Zs in Asia and the Pacific will travel with their loved ones this year.

These demographics also declared their intent to raise their travel budget to maximize the experiences offered in their trips.

In the Philippines, travelers will be helped by the declining ticket prices, as the government cuts the fuel surcharge that airlines can pass on to their passengers.

For February, the Civil Aeronautics Board slashed the fuel surcharge to Level 5 from Level 6 in January, marking the second consecutive month that it was rolled back.