Contiki announces new experiences at annual Legends Party

Contiki Managing Director, Katrina Barry, took the opportunity of Wednesday night’s 6th annual Contiki Legends Party in Sydney to reveal the changing face of youth travel, with the advent of Gen Z entering the market in greater numbers.

Addressing 300 guests at Sydney’s Max Watt’s venue, Barry said of Contiki’s ethos:

“We exist to help travellers experience the world. We understand that social travel has changed, and we too have evolved our offering. Gen Zs are more likely to have travelled extensively by the age of 21, 50% belong to a minority race or ethnic group, they’re better informed and are therefore more open to new and adventurous experiences.”

Discussing the significance of the 61 million Gen Z out there, Barry suggested the demographic will have $44 billion spending power by 2020, with Gen Z accounting for 40% off all 18-35 year old consumers.

“[Contiki’s] approach has been to curate trips that are more streamlined, have the right size group for the experience and destination, new modes of transport and shorter itineraries for those that want it.”

The Legends Party was also the forum for the announcement of six new Contiki Holidays Europe 2020 trips, including three by train, plus new boutique accommodation and new conscious, wellness & active experiences.

• Smaller group sizes of 24 on train trips
• Optional start and end locations
• New cultural experiences include an E-Scooter guided tour of Paris, a Kick-Bike guided tour in Vienna, an E- Bike tour in Porto, a day trip to Windsor & Stonehenge in the UK, and a guided visit to the Montmartre district of Paris.
• New local experiences include learning the art of being a Gondolier in Venice, an evening seminar at the Prostitute Information Centre in Amsterdam, and a Venetian mask-painting workshop with aperitivo in Venice.
• New food experiences include learning to make Pastel de Nata in Lisbon, perfecting homemade pesto in Cinque Terre, a Catalan cooking class in Barcelona, dinner at the Time Out Food Market in Lisbon, an EatWith dinner with the locals experience in Porto, and an Icelandic farm-to-table meal in Efstidalur.
• New wellness & active experiences include Base ‘flying’ off a building in Berlin, bungee-jumping off a crane in Amsterdam, surf lessons and yoga classes in Portugal’s Santa Cruz, stand-up paddleboarding in Santa Cruz, Dubrovnik & Nice and a glacier adventure in Iceland.
• New conscious experiences include a Cascais street art tour with local residents in Lisbon, an ‘Unseen tour’ of Covent Garden hosted by and supporting ex-homeless people in London, and a Refugee Voices tour of Berlin guided by Syrian refugees, and the chance to take part in a reforestation programme in Iceland.

Contiki also announced its travel agent Contiki Cares Ambassador winners on the night, who will spread and support Contiki’s sustainability mission.

The winners are; Kate Buchanan, STA Travel, Teagan Beauman, Flight Centre, Katie Alexander, Universal Traveller, and Bailee King, Helloworld Travel. The lucky winners receive an all-expenses-paid Contiki Cares trip of a lifetime, GoPro gear and training, and the chance to drive change as the voice of Contiki Cares.