The tourism and hospitality industries remain in a state of chaos as COVID-19 persists and the bad news continues to pile up:
• Tourism-related unemployment is nearing 100 million globally.
• Bankruptcies in the sector have reached record proportions.
• Airline passenger loads and revenues are in a tailspin as borders remain slow to reopen.
• Confidence among travellers has never been lower.
• Those who do travel, are staying close to home.
Many are wondering who can rescue this vital industry from the jaws of total disaster?
Did someone say “millennials?”
Okay, stop laughing. It may be true.
While the “me generation” has been the butt of many jokes because of their narcissism, it’s that “me first” attitude that may actually save the tourism and hospitality industry from total collapse.
Consider this: At the height of the pandemic, many millennials took a kamikaze approach to travel and booked whatever cheap flight and discounted hotel room they could find.
“Damn the virus,” was their rallying cry.

Above: Fearless millennials have taken a kamikaze approach to travel during COVID-19.

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Many even bragged about it on Twitter with comments like:
• “Lowering the price of flights to almost nothing and warning millennials travelling might kill us is just asking for trouble. $200 international flight and I could die? Sign me tf up!” wrote one millennial.
• Another added: “I feel like if the coronavirus would get even more serious and like wipe out a large amount of people, I might as well be somewhere having fun.”
It’s that kind of fearless approach the tourism sector needs if it has any hope of recovering from the effects of COVID-19 sooner than what most industry experts are predicting.
Millennials were born to travel. And, according to a recent CNBC report, the average millennial —there are now 1.8 billion worldwide — makes five trips a year. Do the math.
“Millennials are the most adventurous market segment," Dr. Maricel Gatchalian-Badilla, an associate professor at the UP Asian Institute of Tourism, told a CNBC interviewer.
“Travel is an important means of self-expression and self-actualisation (for millennials).
"The countries who have successfully contained the virus will have a positive image amongst millennial travellers,” said  Gatchalian-Badilla, pointing to countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam.
According to the American Society of Travel Agents, millennials take 44 per cent more holiday time and trips than the average baby boomer. In fact, millennials — now the largest demographic in the U.S. — are also the fastest growing category for the international travel market — 75 per cent of millennials polled in another survey say they’d rather take a vacation than buy a car.
Another point of optimism is that three-fifths of the world’s millennials come from free-spending Asia — a third from China alone — and they are anxious to get back on the road.

Above: Everyone agrees getting mature travellers back on the road after the pandemic will be harder to accomplish.

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However, millennials (ages 21-37) are notorious bargain-hunter travellers who, according to the 38-million member American Association of Retired Persons, spent an average of $4,400 (U.S.) on travel in 2019. Compare that to Gen-Xers (38-53) who spent an average of $5,400 on travel in 2019 and Baby Boomers (54-72) who doled out an estimated $6,600 on trips.
If millennials are going to kickstart the tourism economy, though, they’ll need plenty of incentives from brand name international hotel and resort properties.
According to a recent survey conducted by Expedia, 23 per cent of the Gen Y crowd, as millennials are also referred, look for “cheap vacations” when scanning the site.
Airbnb, the online vacation rental company that millennials have made a giant in the hospitality industry, has made travel about 50 per cent cheaper with their business model. While older travellers tend to look for luxury properties while abroad, millennials appreciate the life and cultural experiences Airbnb rentals supply.
Here’s some interesting statistics regarding millennial travellers:
• They spent more than $200 billion on travel in 2019;
• 66 per cent book their trip using a smartphone;
• 82 per cent of millennials travelled in 2019, compare to 75 per cent of all other generations;
• 69 per cent take weekend trips, compared to 13 per cent of all others generations;
• 86 per cent of millennials seek cultural experiences while on vacation while 44 per cent just want to party and 28 per cent want to shop;
• 87 per cent use Facebook to inspire their booking while 50 per cent use Pinterest and Twitter;
• 97 per cent share their travel experiences on social media, with 2 in 3 posting once a day;
• 58 per cent of millennials say they like solo travel.
So — using millennial speak — "the struggle is real” and if the tourism industry is to “bounce” back, it will have to rely on them to "turn up,” “because duh” “YAAAAAS” we’re all counting on time.