Baby Boomers Want Travel Experiences, Not Fun in the Sun
This one doesn’t surprise me: a new travel survey shows that baby boomers are looking for ‘experiences’ when they vacation, not just beach time. According to BCAA Travel, a chapter of the Canadian Automobile Association, baby boomers in Canada, Australia and Britain are looking for holidays that they can tell their friends about. The big growth these days is in trips specializing in adventure, education, health/spa or culinary experiences.
It makes sense: as I write in The Leisure Economy, the greatest growth industry is going to be education, and education can be an important component of travel. That’s especially true for university-educated boomers, who are now entering a part of their lives which is perhaps a bit more reflective. They have a bit more money, or some of them do anyway. They are also thinking about what to do with the rest of their lives, and that may mean cultivating the hobbies they didn’t while in the midst of their ‘time crunch’ years. So it’s off to see the opera houses of Europe, or to learn some skils in gourmet cooking.
The next big trend - according to me, not to the survey? It will be to holidays that give them those experiences, but over a much longer time frame–months, not weeks or days.
Patty responds:
Posted: January 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm →
<p>Interesting thought. Baby boomers wanting more of an experience. I think that it’s even more about travel in general. We’ve become such a global economy and travel is so commonplace and easily researchable, that everyone wants an experience and a story to tell, from the 20-somethings way up through to the baby boomers. I know that this is especially the case with me and hotels. You should check out this site: http://www.roomforyourimagination.com. It’s has some really funny videos, and I think it showcases the whole point of hotels–to fit your personality, your style, and to give you memorable experiences. My favorite video is from room 223 called Labels. It’s so hilarious! Gymnasts is good too! You need to go check it out! These videos are awesome…I work with them so I have the inside scoop!</p>
Carolyn Wilkie responds:
Posted: February 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 pm →
This article does not suprise me at all. Right now, going through University for Recreation and Leisure studies, regardless of which facet of leisure I’m learning about (tourism, therapeutic rec, outdoor rec etc), my professors are constantly stressing the importance of creating meaningful experiences for people. In fact, I think the travel experience is something that will pertain to all generations, not just the Baby Boomers. The travel “experience” is part of the “life” the Gen X and Gen Yers are looking for as well, I think. Culinary Tourism and the Slow Food Movement (started in Tuscany) are repetitive themes throughout my courses this semester, and greatly in line with the idea of the Leisure Economy.
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