Maritz / SITE research
A landmark generational study by SITE and Maritz, with support from Hilton and the SITE Foundation, into how Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z view, value and respond to incentive travel.
About the research
The global workforce is more generationally diverse than at any point in living memory. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z now sit side by side in the same offices, plants, warehouses and Zoom rooms. Industry conversation has tended to focus on Gen Z, but the more interesting truth is that motivational dynamics are shifting across all four cohorts at once.
SITE and Maritz set out to capture that shift in data. Fielded between January and March 2026, the study draws on 1,000 panel-sourced employees who have had a real opportunity to earn incentive travel in the previous three years. It is not aspirational data and it is not an opinion poll. It is a generationally balanced reading of how qualifiers actually behave, what they actually want and what actually works once they win the trip.
The findings reset some long-standing assumptions about who the modern incentive travel qualifier is, why they pursue the reward and what programme design choices matter most. They also point to a clear, practical playbook for the incentive travel professional in 2026 and beyond.
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What the data tells us
1. The qualifier profile is broader than assumed
60% of qualifiers in the study work in operations or technology. Fewer than 10% are in sales. Incentive travel is motivating a wider, more diverse workforce than the industry has historically assumed.
2. Travel is the number one motivator, for every generation
61% rate individual travel as “extremely motivating”, the highest score available. Group travel follows close behind. Both out-rate cash, gift cards, points, merchandise and every other reward type tested.
3. Winning means achievement, not just reward
54% describe a group travel experience as “a feeling of achievement”, nearly 20 points clear of the next emotion. The intrinsic value of winning is as important as the trip itself.
4. The business case is measurable
Among qualifiers who attended their trip, 89% are more likely to stay in their job, 89% feel stronger loyalty to the sponsoring company and 93% are eager to win again.
5. Gen Z is in the room, but needs a different frame
Gen Z is qualifying and travelling. They are also less universally motivated by the group format and more sensitive to programme design. The category works for them; the design has to update to match how they want to be recognised and included.
Go deeper
The findings above are the headline cuts. The full deck covers the qualifier profile, motivational drivers, impact and effectiveness, destination preferences, design imperatives for the modern incentive travel programme and more. It is the most current, most generationally balanced look at the category to date.
