BOOMER SHMOOMER?                               Posted:  10/14/06

Hi Nan:

All I hear is "Baby Boomer this" & "Baby Boomer that."  What's with all the hoopla about our generation and the interest in everything we do and everywhere we go?                 

Barb       Ladue, MO

Dear Barb:

ka-chink   ka-chink !   The Baby Boomer generation is a cash cow to travel marketers.....78 million boomers during the next 20 years will have a plethora of time and money which can be spent on travel.   We were born between 1946-1964 and clock in at 42 to 60 years old.  Certain generational patterns make “boomers” quite appealing and different than the "Forgotten Generation" age 61-70, and the "Seniors" age 71-91, for several reasons:

• VARIETY: In contrast to our folks who drove their station wagon to the same Holiday Inn every year, Baby Boomers want a variety of experiences and are open to generic brands in addition to known brands.
• SMART AS a WHIP: Baby Boomers love to learn, which should be no surprise, since 30% of us have a college bachelor's degree or higher, leading to higher income averages than past generations.  Our insatiable love of learning drives us to venture to faraway places and seek out enriching and one of a kind "trophy" experiences.
• BOTOX GENERATION: Baby Boomers are ageless. Whoo hoo!  We tend to think and act 10-15 years younger than what’s printed on our birth certificate, so we long for activity.  From ballroom dancing to kick boxing to rock climbing, we are willing to give it a whirl.  Popping a few ibuprofen to calm the joints is a routine for many.
• GIRLPOWER: Ladies rule the roost, making the travel buying decisions plus girlfriends talk all the time..."word of mouth" spreads like wildfire.

© 2006 Nancy Zimmerman   

BABY BOOMER TRAVEL STATS                                              Posted:  11/29/06

Dear Nan:

Are baby boomers truly a large travel market?  Aren't the GenX'ers traveling more?   What's the #1 activity Boomers like to do on trips?

S. Hirsch                               Baltimore, MD

As you probably gathered by now, I love statistics and fun trivial facts as well.  The Travel Industry Association of America is a trusted source of travel stats and I have some of the results of their studies.  Baby Boomers’ households generated the highest travel volume in the U.S. in 2003 (registering 268.9 million trips, more that any other age group).  Baby Boomer households (households headed by someone age 35-54) are the most likely to stay in a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast establishment on overnight trips (59%) and travel for business (29%).  (Source: Domestic Travel Market Report, 2004 Edition B)  I noticed that TIA's age for boomers differs from many other sources on the subject.

Shopping continues to be the most popular trip activity for U.S. adult travelers.  About 91 million people or 63 percent of adult travelers included shopping as an activity on a trip.  Because people can go shopping on more than one trip away from home, TIA estimates that 34 percent of all person-trips or over 345 million U.S. person-trips include shopping.  Shoppers are almost as likely to stay at a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast establishment (49% of person-trips) as they are with friends or relatives (48%).  Overnight shopping trips average 4.8 nights and they spend, on average, $563, excluding the cost of transportation to their destination.  Most (81%) shopping travelers say that their most recent trip that included shopping was for leisure purposes.  A majority (59%) of shopping travelers obtained information about shopping areas from friends, family or co-workers.  Hotels were another popular source with travelers (in-room maps, brochures, a TV or the hotel concierge) (25%).  The most popular place to shop on trips is traditional enclosed shopping centers or malls (62%).  Shopping travelers are likely to be Baby Boomers and have higher-than-average household incomes (Source: Domestic Travel Market Report, 2003 Edition and The Shopping Traveler) www.tia.org

© 2006 Nancy Zimmerman