The Big Question: Does travel have an ageism problem?
While travel caters for a wide age spectrum, older people can be overlooked in the industry’s marketing and communications. So is this omission holding the sector back?
At TTG, we believe exchanging views and ideas is key to progress. Our monthly Big Question feature continues in June, shifting the focus onto the topic of age and exploring whether the industry is catering adequately – and sensitively – to the needs of older travellers.
It was Kuoni managing director Mark Duguid who, while recognising the breadth of different customer groups, demographics and communities acknowledged in TTG’s review of travel’s turn-of-year campaigns, rightly highlighted the lack of focus on one of the biggest – and most lucrative – markets of all.
The so-called “silver pound” is worth billions to the UK travel industry, and there are brands that have for many years been well-known for their attention to serving these travellers.
But with older people’s attitudes and travel preferences changing, most notably their confidence and readiness to be more adventurous, this month’s Big Question looks at whether travel is keeping up with the pace of change, what it is doing to match its messaging with the correct mediums, and the opportunities brands forego if they get any aspect of this wrong.
Our commentators reflect on the internal changes it requires to get this right, marketing and advertising dos and don’ts, and the preferences that, if met, can elevate a trip from a good one to a great one.
What do you think? Join in the debate in the comments below, or email feedback@ttgmedia.com. Alternatively, head to one of TTG’s social media channels to get involved.
'It's all about attitude rather than being defined by a number'
Have you had a moment in the past few weeks when you’ve wondered how it can be June already? Or, like me on my recent birthday, how it’s mere months – not years – until you hit the next big milestone age?
Time does indeed fly when you’re having fun and, just because you’re ticking a different box on a form, it doesn’t mean you feel any older – or as old as you think people in that bracket should feel.
So why is it we continue to hold these outdated views of older people? A senior manager at Kuoni recently celebrated her 60th; if she had told me she was retiring, I would have been genuinely shocked. She’s doing an incredible job – leading a department, driving change, making a difference, all with energy and passion.
In January, Kuoni was praised in a TTG article for its “understated inclusion” of minority groups in our peaks TV ad. That feedback was very welcome, but I commented on LinkedIn the article didn’t mention the very deliberate inclusion of older customers alongside race, ethnicity and sexuality, a key customer segment which deserves to see itself represented on screen.
We’re pursuing a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy at Kuoni with the aim of truly representing the customers we serve. The logic is simple: with more diverse views in the organisation, we make decisions that better meet the needs of all customers. On age, this means we increasingly realise it’s all about attitude rather than being defined by a number.
Older customers clearly have specific needs that travel companies need to meet, but for the vast majority of those previously branded “young at heart”, it’s simply about not being pigeonholed into a specific type of travel or, even worse, being ignored altogether.
Mark Duguid is managing director of Kuoni.
'Older British travellers aren’t all white, straight and able-bodied'
A Getty Images study revealed that advertising tends to depict older people in medical environments. In travel specifically, older travellers are most likely to be depicted as white and in a heterosexual relationship.
And while that may be true of some, they are not the only older people who book holidays – pointing to a huge opportunity for travel brands to engage with more potential customers by reframing what “old” looks like – and means – today and in the future.
Ideally, brand teams should be working with strategists and creatives who are part of the target audience and understand their lived experiences as a matter of course. In the absence of this, marketing teams at the very least should be leveraging their critical thinking skills to interrogate the creative output of their in-house or agency teams.
Asking questions such as “how have you informed yourselves about stereotypes relating to the characters you are portraying?” and “are you representing a multidimensional storyline or defaulting to common scenarios?” will go some way in helping create authentic and progressive portrayals of older audiences.
A big step forward would be for travel marketing teams to better understand – and represent – today’s societal landscape. Older British holidaymakers aren’t all straight and white. Nor are they all able-bodied.
By seeking out authentic, credible stories and recognising that being older looks very different today and will continue to change over the next 10 years, campaigns will resonate more strongly with wider audiences, leading to greater engagement and, in turn, conversion.
Shilpa Saul is The Unmistakables' inclusive communications director.
'Treat these customers as individuals and reap the rewards'
They say age is just a number, and this is so true when talking about travel. As a business specialising in holidays for mature travellers, JG Travel Group is acutely aware of the importance of embracing this market and meeting their ever-changing needs.
This demographic is huge, spanning several decades. There are many in our industry who already understand the opportunities created by communicating the right way with these clients. They are time rich and often take multiple holidays or short breaks each year.
Besides considering clients’ physical age, it’s vital we understand their mindset and attitude to make sure we create and then sell them the type of holiday that best suits their needs.
Many are more active and adventurous than ever before; they want to explore and experience more, and go further in a hassle-free way. The challenge is that this demographic is broad, and so are their desires. A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.
JG Travel Group has an extensive portfolio of breaks for this very reason. Listening to customers and adapting products to their changing needs and wants is key. For example, we’ve recently created new itineraries to the Shetland Islands and Hebridean Islands allowing deeper exploration of Scotland. And we also now offer Sri Lanka, our first long-haul destination, to support customer desire to travel further.
Communicating with mature customers can arguably be more of a challenge than younger generations because their use of technology and social media varies greatly. It’s therefore essential brands deliver messaging on the channels through which customers want to engage, rather than forcing them to engage via specific platforms.
Anyone who embraces this market and treats these customers as individuals will reap the rewards.
Claire Dutton is JG Travel Group's trade sales manager.
'We find senior customers value comfort over price'
Low birth rates and increasing life expectancy are pushing up the average age of the population in pretty much every country in Europe. In England alone, according to Age UK, the number of people aged over 65 is expected to rise by 32% in the next 20 years to more than 14.5 million.
Clearly, there is huge opportunity for us all in the travel sector to embrace this increasingly adventurous, culturally curious and lucrative market, as long as we understand, respect and cater to their needs sensitively.
While we offer our senior Eurail customers a 10% discount on all their travel with us, in practice, we find they value comfort over price. Last year, about half of our senior travellers chose to book first-class, compared with one- in-five among our customer base as a whole. And in a recent survey of Eurail customers, more than 94% of senior respondents cited comfortable modes of transport as a top motivator.
Not only are the over-65s willing to spend more for comfort, ease and excellent service, they have time to enjoy slower travel. So their trips are likely to be longer, more immersive and experientially rich, and more likely to result in deeper dispersal within a destination. They also do their research and are incredibly loyal once they have a great experience with you, so reputation and consistency are paramount.
Travel businesses must adapt their products as populations continue to age, and we will explore this further at the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum in London this month. We know it’s key to continue to deliver excellent customer service and health and safety standards, flexible travel options and user-friendly technology.
Jody Bauer is a research analyst at Eurail.
The Big Question by TTG
The Big Question is a monthly feature from TTG taking on some of the burning issues facing travel through expert commentary, insight and debate. While it's not designed to be adversarial, it won't flinch from placing a spotlight on some often uncomfortable topics travel – like it or not – will one day have to reckon with.
- Is the 'S' word starting to put customers off?
- Is direct action targeting commercial travel ever justifiable?
- Is it time to rebrand the travel agent?
- Does travel have an ageism problem?
- Has travel added too much capacity for summer 2024?
- Can celebrity endorsements ever be truly responsible?
- Do women have equal opportunity to progress in travel?
- Should the cruise sector shout about lower prices?
- Is it time for a change of government?
- Has the pandemic changed peaks for ever?
- Is it finally time to turn APD into an environmental tax?
- Does all-inclusive value come at too high a price for the planet?
- Can cruise sail ahead of land-based breaks?
- Should travel companies still be selling captive animal attractions?
- Can aviation do more to help disabled travellers?
- Is there a future for private jets in travel?
- Should agents start charging for their time?
- Is it finally time to reform the Atol scheme?
- Should we be flying during a climate crisis?
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