We live in a world where a photo on Instagram or on social media isn’t just taken and posted: it is carefully planned, taken until the perfect shot is got, then retouched in various editing programs, and only after that posted. Because image is everything. And in the online environment, the pressure is high.
According to a recent study conducted by holiday home insurance company Schofields Insurance, 40.1% of millennials consider “instagrammability” as the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination. In the end, the photos from the vacation have to be perfect, right?
photo by Carl Cestrand / Unsplash
What’s maybe even more surprising, is that the second most important factor – Cost/Availability of alcohol – got only 24% of the mentions.
‘Instagrammable’ places plus alcohol – this implies a lot of partying, right? Freedom, maybe? Enjoying life in a splendid décor?
If you’ve recently seen many bloggers posting articles with the most ‘Instagrammable’ places in a given city or country, now you know the reason why. People look for these places, as having the perfect pictures from the vacation seems to be vital.
The study was conducted among over 1000 UK adults, aged between 18 and 33. So yes, in order to generalize at a global level a bigger set of people should be questioned. Still, the results are pretty interesting and revealing.
It is worth mentioning that there were two more other factors valued by millennials, but with less than 10% each, according to an article posted on the Independent.co.uk:
- How ‘Instagrammable’ the holiday will be – 40.1%
- Cost/Availability of alcohol – 24%
- Personal development – 22.6%
- Chances to experience the local cuisine – 9.4%
- Opportunities for sightseeing – 3.9%
I have to admit that for me, the strangest thing is to see the opportunities for sightseeing as the last, and not that important criteria. And it is the same for my daughter – and she is a millennial:) In fact, the first three factors are completely irrelevant for me. I mean, if I stumble across a place with a great view, good for a photo, fine, if not, such is life. But that’s definitely not how I choose the places I’ll visit next.
It’s really interesting to see the results of this study. Companies can use them to better plan their promotional strategies just as much as tourism boards or even tourism agencies. The results are also a great opportunity to see what millennials value the most when it comes to traveling, what they are seeking in a place they are visiting. And maybe the results are also a window into the implications of the social media into daily lives, as it looks that, for some people at least, social media dictates (or at least influences) real life.
I admit, I wonder why millennials value so much how “instagrammable” a place is when choosing a holiday destination and why they are consider so not-important the sightseeing part. I also see that discovering a new culture wasn’t even on the list:), though I see the third most important factor is self-development.
Very interesting and a little disturbing. I worry that people only travel in order to show off in a way. If you are somebody making a living from Instagram, I sort of understand but for the average person it shouldn’t matter so much. The culture, the sightseeing, the experience should be more important. Sadly the millenial generation seems to think lots of social media attention is somehow validating. The upside…people who want to avoid selfie obsessed millenials when travelling can look for the non-instagrammable places? LOL, Marketing anybody???
What was the social make up of the group surveyed, I wonder? 1,000 people is a good sample of people. You can find interesting subject for photos almost anywhere, in my view, not just in sunny destinations.