Because
the number of seniors (aged 60-plus) in Australia, Canada,
New Zealand and the United States roughly constitutes upto
a third of the adult population in each of these countries—and
this proportion is growing—there has been a considerable
economic incentive for tourism marketers to sharpen their
focus on older people. Many of these seniors have the desire
and means to travel for pleasure, discovery and learning.
But contrary to current thinking and practice in tourism
marketing, this group is far from homogeneous. In this study,
interviews of 356 retirees yielded data on their motives
for holiday travel, preferences for holiday destination
types, favourite mode of travel, and personal values. The
aim was to discover how underlying travel motives and values
could usefully identify unique senior tourism markets for
the purpose of new product development. The results of factor
analyses led to the identification of seven travel-motive
segments labelled (in order of relative size) Nostalgics,
Friendlies, Learners, Escapists, Thinkers, Status-Seekers,
and Physicals. The four largest segments represent 83 per
cent of the senior tourism market and the strategic usefulness
of identifying travel-motive segments is highlighted for
tourism product development. |
