Golden oldies blaze their own travel trail

Golden oldies blaze their own travel trail
By admin


Empty-nesters, golden oldies, grey nomads – whatever you want to call them, the 55 and over age bracket are blazing ahead in their jet-setting trails.

With specialist tour operators, holiday accommodation and travel websites dedicated to them, Australia’s over-55s are fast becoming an important demographic for the tourism industry.

Free from the world of parental responsibility, these travellers are hitting the road in their motorhomes and enjoying what Australia has to offer.

When asked which places in Australia they’d like to spend a holiday of three or more nights in the next two years, people aged 55+ are more likely than younger age groups to name inland and outback destinations and less likely to show interest in family-friendly coastal hot spots.

Compared to the average Aussie, this age group is 93% more likely to nominate Far West NSW as a potential holiday destination, including Broken Hill, Bourke and Lightning Hill.

They’re also 89% more likely to nominate Far North SA/Coober Pedy and 70% more likely to name outback Queensland such as Longreach and Mt Isa as places on the holiday check list.

For the golden oldies, avoiding young families and rowdy youth is an essential consideration, with destinations like the Snowy Mountains, Whitsundays, and Gold Coast region the least likely to host this age group.

Usual hotspots like Surfers Paradise are 62% less likely to be selected by the grey nomads, who instead opt for weathered spots like Kangaroo Island and Hervey Bay.

“Although the holiday destinations that top the wish-lists of Aussies aged 55 or older are very similar to the rest of the population (Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Sydney), some striking differences emerge once we look beyond the capital cities,” Roy Morgan Research’s group account director Angela Smith said.

“Unconstrained by the demands of jobs or children, Grey Nomads have the time and freedom to explore this huge country of ours and visit places that others simply don’t get to.”

“Tourism agencies and operators keen to tap into this potentially lucrative market need to understand its particular needs, preferences and behaviours, and tailor their communications accordingly.”

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