The world’s largest trade association of travel agents recently began offering its members training to help them better understand senior travelers’ needs, which have changed considerably in recent years.
Many of today’s mature travelers are looking for more active, adventurous and educational vacations than in years past. And as the Baby Boom generation moves into its 50s and early 60s during the next decade, these and other trends should only accelerate.
The course, developed by the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. for the 27,000-member American Society of Travel Agents, certifies participants as specialists in mature travel. Seniors should find these specialists better prepared to help them select from a broader range of vacation possibilities than the standard group tours and cruises.
The program couldn’t come at a better time. Consider the numbers: In 1990, 60 million Americans were over 50, the ASTA course points out. They comprise 25 percent of the country’s population, but control almost half the country’s discretionary income.
By 2010, more than 110 million people–or 37 percent of the U.S. population–will have reached their half-century mark. And that’s only 14 years away.
One goal of the ASTA course is to help its members overcome outdated stereotypes about older customers. Such false images often include the notions that all seniors want to travel with tour groups or take cruises aboard luxury liners, that they are in no way adventurous, and that most are poor or penny-pinchers.
“Such stereotypes are a problem within the travel industry in general,” says David Love, ASTA spokesman. “People don’t realize that those in their 60s, 70s and 80s are more active than ever and looking beyond normal cruises and tours. This presents a problem for older consumers who go to a travel agent who doesn’t understand these trends.”
Laying to rest the notion that most seniors are close to poverty, the course targets upscale mature adults, defined as those 65 and older with an annual income of $20,000 to $30,000 or more. That income may sound low, but the course points out that people in this age group usually have no mortgage payments, tuition costs or children at home. And substantial investment portfolios often don’t show up in their income figures.
One important difference between today’s 65-plus adults and those of a generation ago, as the travel agents learn, is that they are less interested in leaving an inheritance for their families and more interested in spending their money on themselves.
As they age, Baby Boomers will bring an even greater infusion of money into travel, although much of it may come from credit and reverse mortgages rather than savings, says Marc Mancini–a travel industry consultant and professor at West Los Angeles College–who designed the ASTA course.
Senior travelers tend to be loyal to travel agents they find knowledgeable and who provide excellent, personalized service. But if they don’t get the service they expect, they go to another agency, the course warns. Or the growing number of computer-literate seniors will make their own travel arrangements.
Outlining the characteristics of today’s 65-plus travelers, the ASTA course also talks about how these traits may gradually change as Baby Boomers age.
Mature adults, particularly those who already have taken a number of standard cruises and package tours, seek fresh experiences. They want their trips to result in personal enrichment and growth, meeting new people and becoming involved with new cultures. The demand for trips that fulfill these desires can only increase as the well-traveled and educated Baby Boomers age.
Many of today’s 65-plus travelers value socializing and companionship, but they also prefer a certain amount of independence. Mancini predicts that Boomers will prefer less camaraderie and even more independence.
But just like today’s 65-plus travelers, Boomers will want such built-in conveniences as airport-hotel transfers and interpreters. They, too, won’t want to spend a lot of time making additional arrangements, such as signing up for sightseeing excursions or getting tickets to cultural events, once they’ve reached their destination.
Today’s senior travelers, who grew up or reached early adulthood during World War II, are often nostalgic and America-focused, Mancini says. Boomers, on the other hand, grew up in the 1960s and ’70s with television and backpacking trips, so they tend to have a wider worldview.
Above all, the ASTA course points out, today’s as well as tomorrow’s mature adults reject products that emphasize old age. They think of themselves as 15 years younger than they actually are. And since the upcoming generation of seniors is healthier and better exercised than the current one, there will be an even greater demand for vacations including adventure and physical activity.
Because senior travelers spend 30 percent more on their vacations than do younger people, travel agents who learn their lessons about these key customers may have the edge in an increasingly competitive market. And mature travelers who connect with properly attuned travel agents are much more likely to get the fulfilling trips they were anticipating.
