Airlines and hotels are adapting accordingly, offering mocktail and beer options on their menus. And when companies focus on offering alcohol-free options, alcohol-free travel becomes more accessible. “Gen Z drinks less than generations before them, so hotels, bars and restaurants are catering to their tastes and demands,” Sheinbaum said.
Delta, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines all offer alcohol-free offerings, serving mocktails and non-alcoholic beer on board and in lounges. Delta passengers can order mocktails like the Citrus Fizz or Pomegranate Lemon Cooler, and Alaska Airlines offers Best Day Brewing, a non-alcoholic craft beer, on every flight. JetBlue also serves Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beer on all of its domestic flights.
Watters said cruises aren’t far behind. Virgin Voyages, for example, has revamped its mocktail menu, aiming to become “the best cruise line for non-drinkers.” The Disney Cruise Line is also focusing on mocktails, partnering with mocktail company Free Spirits.
Hotels are also interested in it. “Hotels offer delicious mocktails, adaptogenic drinks, teas and serotonin sodas,” noted Melanie Fish, trend tracking manager for Expedia Brands, in an Expedia report.
Hilton offers mocktails made with Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits, and Marriott has added non-alcoholic drink options to its lounges and bars, Watters pointed out. Sheinbaum said hotel beverage directors clearly understand this change. The Fairmont Kei Lani in Maui, for example, offers mocktails on its bar and restaurant menu, and the hotel’s beverage director has been sober for more than two years.
The UK is ahead of the curve
When you combine Gen Z’s lack of interest in drinking with the generation’s preference for spending money on experiences rather than things, you get a strong consumer base for non-alcoholic options in the travel industry, Watters said.
She highlighted that the UK is particularly attentive to this change, launching travel agencies – such as We Love Lucid – dedicated to alcohol-free tourism.
Sheinbaum echoed this sentiment. “The US is definitely taking over, but the UK is where Dry January started and where many soft drinks emerged,” she said.
“Reducing alcohol while on vacation will make the trip more meaningful and fulfilling,” Dr. Subhash C. Pandey, director of the Center for Alcohol Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told BBC Travel . He added that preclinical and clinical studies suggest that alcohol has no beneficial effects on the body.
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