Five Key Insights From Next-Gen Incentive Travel Winners 

A study released this week at IMEX by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and Maritz upends some common assumptions about incentive travel.

Investigating the Power of Incentive Travel Across Generations chose a different audience than what typically would be perceived to be incentive winners. Among the mix of 1,000 Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers who had experienced incentive travel, 60% worked in operations or technology (not sales) and 80% earned less than $150,000 per year.

The study shows that incentive travel continues to work across every generation. However, where and how they want to travel — and what motivates them — are all shifting.

Here are five surprising findings from the study.

1. U.S. destinations were the top choice.

When asked about their favorite incentive destinations, 44% of the respondents chose the United States over international travel. Asia ranked higher than Europe, and one of the most popular incentive destinations, the Caribbean, was almost at the bottom of the list, chosen by only 4%. Of those who chose the U.S., the highest percentage was Gen Zers, while Boomers were the lowest.

2. People prefer to travel as individuals.

When respondents were asked to rate nine incentive reward types, individual travel received the highest average rating across all generations, with 61% of respondents describing it as “extremely motivating.” Group travel was the choice of just half of the group.  

3. All-inclusives are the preferred properties.

All-inclusive resorts were the top “trip theme” for the group, followed by “action and adventure.” The traditional incentive theme of “fun in the sun” was chosen by just 1% of respondents. The generation that rated all-inclusives and “action and adventure” the highest was Gen Z.

4. The fewer restrictions, the better.

“Guest inclusion with winner flexibility” was the most important factor in making respondents feel valued, along with first-time destinations and longer trips of five or more nights (vs. the typical pattern of four days and three nights).

5. Achievement wins out over recognition.

Despite the spread of ages in this survey, when asked what group travel means to them, the biggest percentage of respondents chose “a feeling of achievement,” followed by “relaxation and downtime” and “recognition from leaders.”

However, while recognition was a motivating factor for 42% of Boomers and has always been a pillar of incentive programs, only 30% of Gen Z respondents were motivated by it; for them, relaxation (39%) and adventure (35%) were more important.

The survey shows that incentive travel must change to meet the desires of younger generations, said Sarah Kiefer, vice president, brand, at Maritz. “The next generation of incentive travel will need to be more intentional, more flexible, and more inclusive. The message from the research is clear: Incentive travel works, but the best-performing programs will be those designed around current and future qualifiers, not who the industry designed for in the past.”