engleski

GENERATION Y TRAVEL EXPECTATIONS AND CHALLENGES FOR TRAVEL AGENTS

This article discusses complex challenges for travel agents. Technology development and the ever-growing use of the Internet by tourists has led to the adaptation by tourist agencies to new tourism trends. The subject of the research is travel agencies’ offers and Generation Y tourists. The aim of this paper is to highlight the impact of Generation Y’s (so- called Millennials) life values on the choice of agency offers. The author takes a combination of methodology approaches based on the analysis of secondary data sources and a survey questionnaire. The respondents included the student population enrolled in Tourism study courses at the University of Juraj Dobrila in Pula, Croatia. Data was collected from a heterogenized sample of 352 members of the market generation population born between the years 1980 and 2000. The findings of the research indicate that there is a disparity between travel agents’ offers and Generation Y expectations, especially from the aspect of new experiences and the development of tourist attractions. The results of the research reveal that Millennials recognise online agencies in terms of entertainment, enjoyment of life and safety, but also affection in communication, self-development and excitement. They also acknowledge that classical travel agents are present but that there is a lack of added product value through their knowledge of destinations. The students also indicated their attitudes on the significance of leisure motives, where the importance of strengthening of relationships, self-development and personal experience are affirmed. The limitation of this research may be that the respondents traditionally use more frequently the classical mediators’ services by various suppliers. The results point to the possibility of development of future travel agencies in Croatian tourism according to tourism market trends.

tourism intermediaries, Generation Y, attitudes, tourist motivation, adjustments.

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