And why employers should pay extra attention on where millennials want to go

Updated 16/02/2016 – Batanes ranks as the No. 1 destination on Filipino millennials’ travel bucket list this year, outshining other destinations in the Philippines that have received far more tourists over the past years, according to a survey done by Workalife.

We asked 273 millennials to list down three local destinations they’d like to visit in 2016, and results showed one in every two (54.2%) put Batanes among their top three.

Batanes’ limited accessibility has only made travelers want it more. The province “has unique attractions such as nature, culture, heritage and the people. Being isolated also helps us preserve our culture and traditions,” says Ramon Jerry Cabalce, general manager, Batanes Wakay Travel and Tours. “High cost and limited accessibility make Batanes not for everyone.”

Palawan ranks high

Interestingly, four destinations in the Top 10 belong to Palawan province, evidence not only of the strong appeal of the highly rated province but also the diversity of its attractions.

The province itself is second in the list, preferred by one in every three respondents.

Note that the survey did not limit the definition of “destinations” to provinces. As a result, several respondents were more specific, enumerating sub-regions, islands, and even resorts.

This explains why El Nido and Coron — part of Palawan — rank third and sixth, respectively.

Amanpulo, the only resort in the Top 10 and also in Palawan, is eighth.

More than one in every 10 respondents wish to go to Amanpulo, where a villa in summer 2016 ranges from PhP52,000 to nearly PhP340,000 a night.
(Another resort, Balesin Island, rank 11th.)

It seems that while most surveyed millennials dream of a Batanes escapade, the province of Palawan could rank equally popular given the variety of its list of destinations.

Here are Top 15 “keyword” destinations:

1. Batanes
2. Palawan
3. El Nido
4. Cebu
5. Davao
6. Coron
7. Boracay
8. Amanpulo
9. Bohol
10. Siargao
11. Balesin
12. Ilocos
13. Baguio
14. Cagayan de Oro
15. Siquijor

Why this matters for employers

The survey asked millennials born between 1977 and 1998 to name three local destinations in their bucket list in 2016. Note that we did not specify whether the destination be a city, province, or a resort. We did the same for international destinations and ranked countries and cities accordingly. Read the results here.

The survey has various implications for tour operators, travel agencies, and local government units, but employers should pay attention as well. Companies in the pharmaceutical, insurance, and banking industries are known for incentivizing performance with travel-based rewards.

Studies show millennials would rather spend money on experience and travel rather than on materials. And what better way to reward millennials for their performance than to help them check off their bucket list?

For a full report, email Workalife at paolo.abellanosa@gmail.com