Millennials find the attributes of river cruising more appealing than any other generation, according to a study conducted by AAA this summer.
The survey of 1,012 adults in late June listed nine aspects of river cruising that might draw travelers, including destinations; the convenience of docking in central locations; overall value; and smaller, more intimate ships.
Millennials found the listed attributes of river cruising more appealing than other generation on virtually every count, with the ability to visit unique destinations not accessible to larger ships rating highly among millennials (62%) vs. Gen X adults (46%) or boomers (47%).
Overall, the attribute that received the strongest response was "an all-inclusive experience that includes the journey, not just the destination," with 54% of respondents overall saying it was one of the most appealing benefits of a river cruise vacation.
Broken down by generation, the percentage of respondents attracted to that aspect leapt to 65% among millennials, well above the percentage of Gen Xers (49%) or baby boomers (55%) who were similarly interested in that experience.
Half of the overall respondents found the ability to visit destinations not accessible to larger ships appealing, and 48% were attracted to the opportunity for an "authentic travel experience."
"The millennial market appears to be particularly interested in river cruising and responds more strongly than Gen X and boomers to most of the attributes of river cruising tested," the AAA report said.
The study appears to suggest that there is a market for millennial river cruises waiting to be tapped, in a section of the industry market that is still growing fast. A news release accompanying the AAA survey last week revealed that the organization's own river cruise bookings have grown 16% in the last year.
Overall, the AAA study found that river cruising interest is strong, with almost 40% of respondents saying they would consider a river cruise for a future trip.
The survey also found that previous river cruisers were likely to go again. While about a quarter of those surveyed said they were either very likely or likely to participate in an upcoming river cruise, that figure jumped to 48% among travelers who had previously sailed on a river ship.
Of those surveyed by AAA, 14% had taken a previous river cruise, with 61% of those reporting an experience with domestic river cruising and 54% having sailed on a river cruise abroad.
Agents bullish on the rivers
AAA's findings jibe with other industry studies that have demonstrated a strong interest in river cruising.
CLIA's Travel Agent Outlook published in August, a poll of 700 travel agents, found that 64% of those surveyed expected to see increased sales of river cruises this year, with 21% anticipating significant growth.
That study found that the intimacy of river cruising to be its most appealing aspect, with 83% of agents reporting it was very important or important to their clients.
Accessibility to destinations was a close second, with 73% of agents reporting that it was very important or important to their clients, the Travel Agent Outlook found.