It is said that the millennials (those born between the mid 80s and the mid 90s), otherwise known as Generation Y, have inherited the world, well, the working world as we know it. However, those born after the mid 90’s known as Generation Z, may have already inherited the world and could be worth over $200 billion to the travel & tourism industry.

Generation Z have never known a world without social media. They use ‘#’ (hashtags) to say what they feel, and of their objects too. Smartphones are their fundamental needs, as is high-speed connectivity at all times. Generation Z will shape business travel as their needs and behaviors are shaped by their need to be in a certain place at a certain time, thus combining business with leisure trips.

Ai tools such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, which are highly-personalized services, are already at the traveler’s fingertips. This is more so as more of the travel booking processes will be automated and product choices will be anticipated as well as tailored to the business travelers’ personal needs. However, customer expectations will demand interactions based on empathy. To meet these expectations, technology is key as customers are moving towards self-service options which works best when an improved customer experience will still be essential.