SNAPSHOT: BOOMERS (AND BEYOND) AND TRAVEL

At a Glance...

• 50+ spend more than 30 billion a year on travel
• Account for 70 percent of cruise passengers
• Constitute 80 percent of all luxury travel
• Take 73% of all RV vacations
• 50+ spends 75% more per vacation than do travelers under 50
• Upward spending curve on cruises is rooted in the boomer demographic and peaks at ages 65-74
• Over next seven years, there will be 80 per cent growth of 60-69-year-olds
• Average boomer has two weeks of vacation/year

Women Boomers...

• Women influence 80 percent of travel purchases
• The majority of adult women are boomers: 38 million strong
• Travel more than any other age/gender group in the US
• Biggest segment of adventure travel (average age: 54)
• Stealth segment: single women and girlfriend get-aways
• 71% use Web for travel research

The Persona of the “Typical” Boomer Vacation Traveler…

Grand Boomers: Legacy

• Boomers with grandchildren--among areas of most dynamic growth
• 31 per cent of trips taken by boomer households include at least one child or grandchild
• At peak of earning potential
• Want to share vacation experience with family—building memories/legacy

Entitlement

• Boomers have worked hard and think of high quality travel not as a perk but as an entitlement
• Expect to be pampered
• Expect great service and attention i.e. hand-addressed notes
• Notice details: know how many threads in the sheet count…

Simplicity

• Looking for solutions that will simplify their lives—not complicate things
• Want to have real person to talk to who will listen, who is informed, who will encourage them without being pushy
• Would prefer to pick from a pre-selected offering tailored to them, i.e. 3 or 4 options (or alternatives) with clear rationales rather than 100 they have to sort through themselves

Community

• Relationship-oriented
• Hope to make friends while on vacation—and build on-going community (i.e. share calendars and plan future visits, shared photo sites)
• Gather multi-generations and friendship groups
• More influenced by peers than experts (referential, not deferential)

Enrichment

• Women comprise 71 percent of spa goers, majority are boomers
• Looking for cultural/personal enrichment
  • Cooking classes
  • Watercolor and art classes
  • Local talks by professors on culture
  • Eco and activist-tourism
• Stealth segment for huge growth potential: single women and girlfriends traveling together