3 Ways to Delight Boomer Leisure Travelers in 2017

Meeting Millennials’ travel and booking preferences is now a permanent topic in industry headlines, but let it be known that the Baby Boomer market segment is driving significant attention of their own—or they should be. That’s because the generation of individuals born between 1946 and 1964 spend close to half of all CPG dollars, they’ll represent half of the US population in 2017 and they clearly have the ability and desire to enjoy more than their fair share of luxury travel experiences.

Insights from Neilsen suggest that from a marketing perspective, these powerful consumers are vastly underserved. So let’s take this opportunity to step away from the Millennials and focus on their parents—and examine 3 ways that travel industry suppliers can better serve Baby Boomer leisure travelers.

1. Keep the Ideas Coming

Baby boomers have a large appetite for traveling. Many are retired, many have raised their families and (finally) have disposable income to spend on themselves, and many have worked long enough to earn an impressive number of annual vacation days. According to AARP’s 2017 Travel Trends, 99% of boomers plan to take at least one leisure trip—with an average of 5 or more trips expected throughout the year.

And they’re traveling for a variety of reasons. The AARP report revealed that while “bucket list” trips are more likely to send boomers to international locations, domestic trips are taken for spring or summer vacations, celebrations (e.g. anniversaries and birthdays), family reunions, weekend getaways and winter holiday travel.

That’s why travel companies should consider the sky as their limit when marketing services to boomers—these consumers have so many reasons to travel, and presumably, so many trips to take.

One “hot” idea that’s particularly appropriate for boomers is the multi-generational travel experience. (Learn all about it by reading It’s a Family Affair: Multigenerational Travel.) And boomer travel customers who are also grandparents may have deep pockets for their grandchildren. According to Preferred Hotel Group, one-third of these boomer leisure travelers have taken a trip with their grandchildren. What’s more, an AARP venture capital review reports that grandparents spent $4.0 billion on grandchildren-related travel in 2009.

2. Help them Maximize their Budgets

That’s not to say boomer travelers have budget problems, per se. The AARP study found that of the challenges boomers face while planning trips, budgeting tops the list—if at only 16%. And an item in Adweek revealed that 29% of wealthy baby boomers prefer to spend their money on luxury vacations, ahead of even fine wines (26%) and premium cosmetics (18%).

The point is to help these consumers make the most of the budget they do have, because they have lofty travel goals that include from exploring new cultures, relaxing and spending time with family. It’s a lot to cover in a yearlong itinerary.

By the fall of 2016, according to the AARP study, only 10% of domestic trips and 17% of international trips will booked for 2017. While many of the travelers may have destinations picked out, they may be working on ideas, looking for inspiration and open to industry suppliers’ recommendations on where to book and how to spend their budgets. It’s an excellent opportunity to help them fit “more” into their trips, whether that means adding value by extending stays (and lowering per-night rates) or reserving tickets for cultural events, off-the-beaten-path excursions or dining experiences they’re sure to find worth their while.

3. Extend Personal Service

Compared to younger travelers, member of the boomer generation don’t use as many online or mobile travel resources—or use them as often. The AARP survey found, however, that 41% will book online at specific airline, hotel, or car website because they want to take advantage of loyalty points. And they’re also likely to visit Trip Advisor, which is shown to be a consistent top boomer resource for reviews and booking. So while online travel websites and resources should always be available to consumers—and new ideas explored for encouraging their engagement—it’s important to know how and when a particular market segment uses them.

Not only does Travel Apps: Usage, Awareness, and the Generational Divide provide great additional insights, but 3 Ways Travel Suppliers Can Use Travel Reviews gets into specifics on this topic.

The availability of person-to-person service is important to most every consumer in today’s marketplace and boomers are especially appreciative. But consider the element of personalized service, that when combined with a personal touch, can make a big impact on the travel buying experience. Baby boomers are also known as members of the “me” generation. They’re individuals in their 50s, 60s, and now, 70s, with rich experiences and diverse backgrounds that leisure travel can, and probably does, enhance. When it comes to developing personalized itineraries, solving for health concerns, and accommodating the needs of an extended family, for instance, the possibilities for customization are practically endless—and it’s easy to see the value in personal service in helping baby boomers fulfill their travel wishes.

For more on this topic, turn to Four Generations of Travelers Mean Four Kinds of Travel Marketing.