Incorporating Gen Z-approved incentive travel strategies

By: Kim Mai

What you need to know  

  • Gen Z employees are motivated by opportunities to earn incentive travel rewards.  
  • Evolve incentive trips to align with Gen Z expectations and priorities. 
  • Incentive travel program ideas can cater to Gen Z with cross-generational appeal.  

 

gen z travelers on incentive travel trip

By choosing rest without guilt, Gen Z is redefining work/life boundaries to show up at their best. But what does this mean for incentive programs? Can travel motivate the generation that embraced “bed rotting” as a form of self-care? According to 2024 attendee preference research from Incentive Travel Foundation, trips to desirable destinations hold high appeal for this new group of potential earners.  

Harvard Business Review reports that Gen Z employees (who they define as being born between 1995 and 2010) “are bringing their values and priorities to work, particularly their desire for transparency around recognition and rewards, and have started to make a significant impact.”  

Why Gen Z motivations should influence incentive travel planning 

Harnessing the power of incentive travel can help organizations struggling to engage this growing segment of the workforce. Especially if program design is aligned with their expectations.  

For the third year in a row, 91% of Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) respondents described a group incentive travel experience to an appealing destination as “very” or “extremely motivating.” And younger employees (Gen Z and Millennials) find even more motivation in group incentive travel than Gen X and Boomers, who have likely enjoyed more opportunities to experience travel programs during their careers.    

Gen Z now makes up more than a quarter of the workforce, and their influence should shift corporate event strategy accordingly. As this generation starts earning, incentive trip design needs to evolve.  

Related: Build brand advocates by welcoming Gen Xers, Millennials and Gen Z in the winners’ circle. 

Corporate incentive trip trends that appeal to Gen Z motivations   

Organizations using incentive travel to motivate Gen Z professionals must recognize their resistance to “rise and grind” culture and get creative with qualifying criteria. Program design should look different, too. 

In a data analysis shared by SITE and Cvent, three priorities emerged as core factors for Gen Z: 

  • Sincerity: Add authentic opportunities to give back as part of the program 
  • Balance: Communicate incentive travel as an opportunity to rest and recharge 
  • Flexibility: Offer free time on programs and look for opportunities to co-create  

Leisure travel publications aimed at Gen Z audiences can provide a window into what's trending (we love following Late Checkout for bite-sized hospitality reports). And reports on Gen Z’s personal vacation planning and booking histories show what destinations win out.   

1. Incentive travel that “gives back” 

Sustainability is important to Gen Z travelers. They are looking for ways to offset their footprint and want to make authentic, culturally sensitive connections.  

For instance, at Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique, guests can support local wildlife by helping build monkey bridges. These rope pathways allow arboreal animals to maintain their natural movement through the forest canopy and safely cross roadways.  

Related: Read more about this property and what’s new in incentive travel in an issue of our Industry Update. 

2. Flexibility to take a different “plus one” approach 

Offering incentive trip winners the opportunity to bring a guest underscores the idea that success is sweeter when it’s shared. Historically, incentive trips were designed with spouses as the standard “plus one.” Now, more people are choosing to bring a bestie, sibling or parent instead of a partner.  

Learn as much as possible about guests during the registration process, so you can personalize their experience, too. (Consider the potential recruitment benefit that could come with high achievers bringing pals from their college days!)  

Related: How to design multigenerational incentive travel experiences. 

3. Balanced agendas with hands-on activities and time to rest 

Gen Z prioritizes creative free time over exclusive luxury. Inspiring this generation is about selling an experience. Because of this, luxury hotel chains shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all. This generation looks for rite-of-passage adventures (Travel + Leisure suggests Koh Phangan’s full moon party), destinations with mental health benefits and cultural experiences. Building “lazy” days into the agenda grants attendees permission to explore at their own pace. Or “rot,” but make it poolside.  

Peek at premiere incentive travel program ideas that appeal across generations in our incentive travel lookbook. 

download our incentive travel lookbook for ideas
Kim Mai
Kim Mai

With over 14 years of experience in events, Kim has seen it all. Corporate conferences, executive retreats, high-energy concerts, training sessions, expos—even activations in warehouses and parking lots. Known for blending creativity with business-savvy event strategy, she believes the most impactful events are rooted in understanding goals, motivation and how to make people feel. For her, it’s all about creating moments that stick. Outside of work, Kim embraces the very experiences she loves to design: watching live music, discovering new restaurants and attempting to perfect the art of traveling with a toddler in tow.