• by Gary Leopold , Columnist, June 7, 2010

What if a whole generation of people lost the urge to travel? I don't mean because times were tough and they couldn't afford it, but simply because it was no longer important to them.

Two recent studies indicate we might have reason to worry, and I think we'd be wise as an industry to pay attention to this early wake-up call.

The first study was commissioned by lastminutetravel.com and was reported by the UK's Daily Telegraph whose headline proclaimed that children would rather explore the world virtually than in person. The story stated that young people were spending more on in-home entertainment and technology rather than traveling the world. And it was cited as saying that "perhaps worryingly, a new generation will reject travel altogether in favor of gaming, social networking and 'always on' media."

If this wasn't alarming enough, as if in lockstep, another recent study by virtual world site Habbo that surveyed 100,000 teens aged 13 - 17 from around the world reported that today's teens are far less inclined to want to travel or work overseas.

Perhaps we shouldn't be totally surprised by these results. Children born after 1995 are being called Generation I, as they lay claim to being the first group of Americans never to have experienced education, work or play without the Internet. And this is a generation whose relationships are fostered through IM and text messages and the pages of Facebook and MySpace.

We can no longer assume that future generations will travel in the same ways or with the same desire as current or past generations. It would be naive to think that they'll act as we act. Indeed, the only world they've ever known encourages them to explore the planet virtually. It provides them with instant access to endless streams of interactive content.

They can make connections, communicate and share the most personal aspects of their lives in ways that we could never have dreamed possible only a few years ago. Television will be 3D. Video games are ever-more lifelike. Avatars let people take on whatever personality they desire and roam endless destinations, both real and imagined. In fact, the Boy Scouts now give merit badges for video game skills.

This is a generation weaned on doing everything online. Advancing technologies, in consort with their advanced online skills, should remind us that this is a generation unlike any we've ever known.

Add in the fact that this is a generation raised amidst wars and unparalleled global tension, daily reports of terrorism, tightened security at every venue, crowded and uncomfortable planes, high gas prices and a wealth of other ingredients, all of which detract from travel's appeal.

No one can predict the future, other than to know that it will be different than the past. But we need to start focusing on future generations now and begin to instill in them the thing that so much of today's retail-focused marketing doesn't seem to create. Desire.

We have to acknowledge the need to turn today's youth into tomorrow's travelers, and no longer assume that they will want to discover and experience more of the real world as some kind of rite of passage. Let's take advantage of their desire to create and share experiences and let's make travel a central part of their emerging lifestyle.

For travel brands, that means a need to start talking to and understanding this generation of consumer and how to appeal to these new sensibilities. It means partnering with schools and working with educators to create a curiosity among their students to travel and see the world. It means creating video games and online experiences that resonate with this audience and letting them know that what's happening online is merely an introduction to the wonders of the real world that lies beyond.

When families interact with your brands today, create ways to engage the children (and help parents interact with their kids) so that you can begin a sustained dialogue in which you talk to them, educate them and excite them to forge a never-ending journey of discovery.

I'm sure you'll have your own ideas on how to successfully address this potential issue for our industry, and I welcome your input to what I think is an important discussion that no one seems to be having.

For an industry that has been infinitely more focused on the here and now, it may be time to start investing more actively in the future. As challenging as it has been to overcome the recent economic woes, it may pale in comparison to trying to overcome a generation that just isn't as interested in traveling.

We can't let society breed a travel-free generation.

Let's start changing the future.