Mature market ready for adventure
Who you calling an old geezer?
Not that guy in the whitewater raft, I hope. Not that bold soul risking her noggin riding a motorcycle across rural France.
If it was ever true that mature travelers were content to take the slow and easy road, it’s hardly the case anymore.
AARP has looked into the travel attitudes of baby boomers and registers the apparent: Mature folks have the resources and will to travel, and adventure is a big part of the game.
A survey of 1,594 respondents ages 41 to 59 shows that some 55 percent of boomers consider themselves adventurous, and 77 percent feel they are more adventurous than their parents.
The large number of “seniors” traveling is a huge element of the travel industry.
There are 81 million people in the United States 50 years old or older, 28 percent of the entire U.S. population. For all the courting of the free-spending youth, this 28 percent controls 67 percent of the nation’s wealth, and has more than $750 million in discretionary income and more than $28 trillion dollars in assets.
With people living longer and more healthy lives than before, the mature market is here to stay. Some key survey findings of the 50 and older crowd:
•Important factors in leisure travel include a beautiful, scenic destination that promotes relaxation, has good weather, and presents no pressure of schedules to meet.
•Twenty years ago 10 percent held passports; today, that has increased to 28 percent.
•Twenty years ago, less than 4 percent had visited Europe; a similar 4 percent went to Mexico, Central America, South America or the Caribbean. Now, the numbers are 14 percent to Mexico, Central America or South America; 10 percent to the Caribbean; and 7 percent to Europe.
•The top U.S. states, cities or areas boomers like for their travel are Las Vegas, Florida, New York, Hawaii and Colorado.
•The top dream spots they’d like to visit are in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand and Africa.
AARP and Travelocity have put together a travel service site aimed at their market: www.aarp.org/passport.