To shed light on how America’s 76 million Baby Boomers will spend their estimated $120 billion annually on leisure travel, AARP Travel recently released a survey on the age group’s travel preferences. The study looked at the frequency, destination preferences and travel must-haves important to Baby Boomers.
“The vast majority of Baby Boomers are planning to drive, fly or set sail on leisure trips in 2016, with an average of four or five trips already in the works,” said Stephanie Miles, vice president of products and platforms for AARP. “Boomers make up a large segment of the traveling public, and so it’s particularly important for the travel industry to be aware of what Boomers are looking for in their vacations going into 2016.”
Here are six highlights from the survey:
1.) Almost all Boomers will hit the road in 2016. An incredible 99 percent of Baby Boomers planned to travel in 2016, and more than three-quarters of them have already chosen their destinations. About 11 percent who had planned to take a domestic trip had booked their travel by September 2015.
2.) Money isn’t the main consideration for Boomers. More than half of Millenials and Gen Xers say that cost is a barrier to leisure travel, but only 45 percent of Boomers agreed.
4.) International bucket list trips have risen in popularity. About 32 percent will embark on an international bucket list trip. Spring is an especially popular time for international trips, with 29 percent traveling to other countries then.
5.) Warm weather attracts Boomers. This age group chose Florida (19 percent) and Las Vegas (9 percent) as their most popular domestic destination in 2016. Internationally, the Caribbean and Mexico (each 19 percent) will see the largest percentage of Boomer travel.
6.) Free Wi-Fi can make or break a hotel choice. Forty-three percent of Boomers reported that free Wi-Fi is a must-have when choosing a hotel room.
For more information, visit aarp.org/2016traveltrends.
