According to Forbes, 20% of international travelers were Millennials in 2014. Imagine how the numbers must have evolved over this time! These numbers prove to be of great value as it would provide relevance to local tourism in Pakistan.

If you have been reading up on our previous blogs there have been many such millennial travelers that have had Pakistan on their bucket list and shared their experiences, showcasing the potential our tourism industry has! There’s a large part of the Pakistani population that are Millennials.

People born between 1982 and 2002 are considered to fall under this group. If we consider this demographic currently, they would involve ages 15 to 35. So, teenagers, young adults, adults involving working individuals, students, etc. Millennial travelers have been paving the way for tourism in Pakistan.

With the inclusion of solo trips, millennials involving students that have been planning group trips to various parts of the world and considering the last few years arranging economical packages for local travel have been gradually gaining a lot of recognition. Pakistani Millennial’s influence does not simply rely on the political environment anymore.

Technology has influenced them to focus on better platforms to access better opportunities. Be it acknowledging new job opportunities, engaging in shopping online or acquiring various e-services, the utilization of these platforms especially by this generation is considerable. Let us consider some global trends, where individuals are especially embracing the use of the internet and mobile technology for their travel related queries, bookings, comparisons and for decision-making purposes.

The digital world is sure to benefit in the distant future as well. The ample amount of information and knowledge they have because of the internet and using it to their advantage and educational background makes one wonder that the travel industry is surely not the only one that is benefiting.

Millennials are part of the ‘Experience Economy” that has a special recognition for the tourism industry and how businesses must consider this phenomenon in order to cater to their potential millennial travelers. A good number of 4 and 5-star hotels such as Beach Luxury Hotel Karachi has been augmenting their strategies by incorporating these relevant characteristics in their marketing strategies.

Now marketing for Millennials can be tricky! Small hotel chains need to be careful about how they need to promote themselves. Park Lane Hotel Lahore, for instance, features a noteworthy presence online through Facebook. Many Islamabad Hotels have been following the same strategy due to many Millennials being actively online and arranging trips through these popular social media platforms.

Hotel One Lahore which is a spinoff hotel of Pearl Continental Karachi has been engaging with heir potential and loyal customers through social media platforms as well. Since Millennials are into spending money on experiences that would matter to them and want to be diverse, Hotel One has been building cultural diversity by celebrating minorities and their events, giving locals what they want and inviting them to adventures they would want to experience. Business and Leisure seem to go together when Millennials arrange their corporate trips.

A complete package is essential! Marvel hotel Lahore, PC Rawalpindi and Dreamworld Karachi are among the many hotels in Pakistan comprising of well-equipped business centers offering meeting and conference accommodations amidst the many other recreational facilities. Considering the current corporate sector that is being influenced by Millennials and their way of group traveling and business-leisure trips, the amenities offered are to be diverse in accordance with their liking.

Eagle Nest Hotel and Shangrila Resort Skardu are among the many hotels offering various leisure and entertaining sites to their guests and is very popular among young solo travelers. Many educational institutes and universities have been forming travel groups where they pitch in a certain amount and visit the various sites within Pakistan and even abroad.

The target market considering these millennials is very diverse and vast. Variation in packages may also be a good approach when executing strategies to resonate with your hotel brand. User-generated content is very popular with Millennials since there’s more engagement in terms of having them endorse a particular hotel, promote their lifestyles through their experiences in documentation or visual which drives today’s digital media. An online presence is vital when it comes to promoting hotels.