Abstract
According to most academics, different generations share common characteristics. This undoubtedly helps to better understand their behavior in different scenarios, predicting their responses. However, this seems questionable and that is the main purpose of this study. This research, although preliminary, try to confirm if millennials have common characteristics, or if, on the contrary, there are differences between them due to the culture in which they are immersed. To this end, it has been contextualized in a sector that is very sensitive to cultural differences, such as tourism. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire administered in 2019 via e-mail to young South Korean and Spanish millennials (born 1982–2002). The results suggest that there do not appear to be common personality traits between the countries analyzed. The differences between the two groups for most personality traits and travel motivations were significant. The findings of this research provide several practical implications since it will make possible a more appropriate management of the tourist destination.
Highlights
In a globalized world, where uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and competition in markets predominate, it becomes imperative to know the behavior of our current and potential consumers, to have the ability to succeed in decisions
The research was conducted based on a structured questionnaire that was administered between April and October 2019 via e-mail to young South Korean and Spanish millennials
There are some significant differences between the personalities of Korean and Spanish millennials (Figure 1)
Summary
In a globalized world, where uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and competition in markets predominate, it becomes imperative to know the behavior of our current and potential consumers, to have the ability to succeed in decisions. This is happening in a dizzying way, and for companies and tourist institutions to know the behavior of tourist and the factors that affect them is much needed. This is especially true in regard to millennials as Parsa and Cobanoglu (2011) claim this generation is becoming an important source of tourists in some destinations. Millennials are characterized by being more materialistic than members of previous groups, and of giving more importance to their image (Twenge, 2014). They are characterized by being multitasking, have important digital skills, and in general, have a high level of education, are energetic, positive, socially responsible, sophisticated, and demanding (Ng et al, 2010; Pendergast, 2010)
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