We knew from our webinars, meet-ups and sessions with community members around the country that there was renewed interest in travel but even the Samarth research team had not expected the extent to which seniors are excited about leisure travel post Covid.
The responses tp our online poll conducted with members across 90+ cities in India clearly indicated that travel is not only back on the agenda of many seniors, but that it also holds a high priority.
The proportion of women respondents was among the highest to our surveys in recent months, indicating that the enthusiasm is shared regardless of gender (senior readers, please note a terrific opportunity to delight your spouse).
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It was impressive to see that more than 60% had travelled on leisure already for 6 days or more in the last twelve months. Explains the rush on airports, rail and road!
Another big revelation of wanderlust was that all except 3% of members are planning to go on leisure tours in the next 12 months, and one-third (32%) are ready to pack their bags as soon as they can find a suitable option. Seniors are beating the millennials squarely in this respect!
Location-wise, three-fourths will like to travel within India. Hills, Beaches, Culture/religious destinations and wellness retreats are the top priorities (in that order). Travelling to celebrate a milestone drew noteworthy interest.
While travelling with spouse and friends is the overwhelming favourite by a wide margin, the poll showed a growing openness to travel alone or with new people.
For seniors who are making their own arrangements (instead of children or another family member), the reliance is on a combination of own research and travel agents.
Now comes the very interesting part: the problems our members worry about, and what will make a tour special for them.
Leaving affordability aside, the most important concerns for our seniors, when planning leisure travel, are about their health and medical attention if required, safety and security. Being alone, or lack of company seems to be a barrier to travel for more than 10%, not a small number.
Seniors today are no longer content with standard itineraries, tight schedules and mass-packaged tours. They want flexibility to suit their needs, unique experiences curated for them and the option of a companion to accompany them for support.
Respondents had numerous suggestions, the most frequent ones being:
- Keep the pace easy and leisurely, not hectic, with time to relax
- About 5 to 6 days for a domestic (India) tour will be right
- Take special care of food; will love to enjoy local delicacies
- Make it special, something that we will remember
- Give multiple destinations and options to choose from
- Keep it in small groups or just family
- Medical facilities should be available
- Have a young person accompanying
The survey provided these and many other insights. If you are interested in senior travel, contact us at tours@samarth.community
To explore customised tours for seniors offered by Samarth, visit www.samarth.community/tours
