Package tours have long been considered the domain of the middle-aged and elderly. However, package tours have recently become popular as a new travel method among Gen Z. Let’s take a closer look at package tours.
① Sold-Out Package Tours
Recently, HanaTour released a package tour to the USA on a first-come, first-served basis. It sold out within three hours, with 70% of the reservations made by those in their 20s and 30s. This product was a trip with basketball expert commentator Jo Hyun il.
The travel itinerary included watching a US professional basketball game with commentator Jo, which drew significant interest from basketball fans and led to the package tour being sold out.
HanaTour announced that last year, there was a significant increase in package tour participation among the 20-30 age group. A HanaTour representative mentioned, “Considering that the main customers of package products were previously middle-aged, this increase is exceptional.” This trend is common across various travel agencies.
② Products Featuring Influencers
Package tours’ biggest disadvantage is their fixed schedules, which can limit freedom. The fatigue from visiting unwanted shopping centers also contributed to this. However, as the style of package tours evolves, they are gaining interest from younger generations.
Package tours are convenient because travel agencies handle all the scheduling and transportation, leaving customers with nothing to worry about. This is one of the reasons why older adults prefer package tours.
However, recently released package tours offer convenience and allow participants to experience unique programs that would be hard to encounter on independent travels. Travel agencies have been launching package tour products featuring influencers, which have sold out.
Last year, HanaTour launched ‘YemiTour’ in collaboration with the domestic travel community media Travel Crazy. This was an 8-night, 9-day hiking trip in Kyrgyzstan with tour expert and actor/model Paul Gil as the host. ModuTour also released a Hong Kong concept tour with travel essayist and influencer travel_bellauri, 2roooon, which sold out within 30 seconds of launching, with 200 people reserving spots.
Various package tours have been launched, including overseas golf trips with a golf YouTuber, a Spanish music festival with a pop music YouTuber, and a trip to Mongolia with a travel writer.
The Jeju Tourism Organization also conducted family tours with famous influencers. A Jeju fam tour video with famous Taiwanese YouTuber Chia Akka reached 1.9 million views on YouTube. Following the popularity of this trip, Taiwanese travel agencies launched a Jeju tourism product following the same course Chia Akka traveled, which was well-received among the young Taiwanese audience.
③ Generation-Specific Packages
As interest in package tours among the 2030 generation has increased, the travel industry has launched products specifically for this age group. These products allow people of the same age group to travel together, a departure from the traditional package tour that mixes various age groups. Organizing trips exclusively for the younger generation has resonated well with them.
The Kyowon Group’s Travel Easy launched a travel product featuring a professional photographer to take photos during the trip. This generation, active on social media, showed interest in having pictures, videos, and short forms taken for them. The product was popular because it provided photos suitable for social media.
Yellow Balloon launched a package exclusively for the MZ generation, composed only of travel courses preferred by the younger crowd. The package even guaranteed free time, leading to high satisfaction among purchasers.
Last year, the proportion of reservations from the 20s and 30s for Hana Tour’s package tours surged to over 30% of the total, nearly double compared to 2019. Indeed, the younger generation is showing a positive response to package tours.
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