Children are now calling the shots when it comes to choosing family holiday destinations, a study by Royal Caribbean International has found.
Researchers revealed that seven out of ten mums and dads now consult their kids before deciding where their annual sunshine break will be, but more than 40% admitted to ignoring their children?s advice and opting to go somewhere else, only to later regret it. It also emerged nine out of ten parents put the holiday happiness of their kids before their own.
The study was carried out by the cruise line to mark the creation of its first Gen-Z expert panel, ?Little Extraordinaires?, to shape the holidays of the future. The panel consists of children aged between seven and 11 years old, who will put family ship, Independence of the Seas, to the test following its multi-million-pound makeover.
As part of the study generational expert Dr Paul Redmond identified how and why Gen Z already has a significant influence on the travel industry. He said: ?For the travel industry, Generation Z is an incredibly important cohort. Not only do they exert a powerful influence on their Generation X parents ? who are extremely tuned into their well-being and personal development, but they are a generation that care more for experiences than possessions.
??Moreover, as a generation which has grown up with more digital technology at their fingertips than NASA used to launch the Space Shuttle, they expect to see innovation embedded in the experiences around them."
The study also found while more than 60% of parents said relaxing on the beach was one of the main things they enjoyed about being on holiday, more than half conceded that waterslides and action-packed activities were top of their children?s wish list.
Additionally, it emerged today?s children have visited four European cities, flown long-haul three times and been skiing twice - all before their tenth birthday. They have also been on an average of two cruises, four ferries and seven aeroplanes.
More than eight in ten parents felt their children were lucky that their horizons had been widened by travelling to other places. However, 83% complained their children had no idea how lucky they were to have all the trips away and holidays that they do.
