Recently, the consumer behavior of the senior market has become an increasingly important area of interest to various public policy makers and travel marketers. This article focuses on understanding the consumer behavior of seniors and nonseniors in the U.S. pleasure travel marketplace. Specifically, the study determines the types of pleasure trips taken and the differences that exist between the groups in the use of package trips, travel agents, and other travel-related characteristics. Demographic profiles of senior and nonsenior pleasure travelers are also delineated. The study findings are used as the bases for suggesting a number of implications for travel marketers.Travel and tourism marketers face a highly competitive environment brought on by the changing demographics of the U.S. population, the most significant change being the growth in size of the older segment of the population. Consumers aged 55 and over represent one of the fastest growing segments of the population (Shoemaker 1989;Waldrop 1989). This demographic market segment has been variously labeled as the &dquo;older market,&dquo; the &dquo;mature market,&dquo; and the &dquo;senior market&dquo; (Shoemaker 1989;Lazer 1985;Allan 1981).The term used in this study is &dquo;senior market&dquo; because the term appears to be preferred by most of those who comprise this market (Shoemaker 1989).Regardless of the terminology used, consumers aged 55 and older are a demographic &dquo;discovery,&dquo; the importance of which will extend through the 1990s and beyond for two reasons -market size and market potential. In terms of market size, an estimated 59 million people in this country will be aged 55 and over by the year 2000 (Hawes 1988; Technology and Aging in America 1985). Currently, within this consumer group, the number of people 65 years old and older constitute 28 million, or 11.9% of the population. This 65 and over age group has been growing at twice the rate of the population as a whole and is projected to reach 64.6 million by the year 2030 (Lumpkin and Hunt 1989). Waldrop (1989) notes that the &dquo;household boom and bust will continue in the 1990s -look for rapid growth in the 45-to-50 age group and a decline in the number of households headed by 25-to-34-year olds.&dquo; The number of households headed by people aged 35-44 grew 38% between 1980 and 1988 as the baby boom generation entered this age bracket, making it the fastest growing segment.In terms of market potential, the senior market of persons aged 55 and older possesses a relatively large share of all discretionary dollars because this market segment traditionally has fewer major bills -investments in home and family have been made and their children no longer depend Ra¡shekhar G Javalgl, Edward G Thomas, and S R Rao are faculty members In the Department of Marketmg at the James J Nance College of Business Administration at Cleveland State Unlverslty In OhIo entirely upon them (Blazey 1987;Anderson and Langmeyer 1982). England (1987) notes that &dquo;Americans over 65 are the s...
In today′s competitive travel industry, positioning the destination
more effectively in the traveller′s mind has become an increasingly
important strategic issue. The key to this is an understanding of the
traveller′s perceptions of destinations. This study focuses on
determining US pleasure travellers′ perceptions of selected European
destinations for touring and outdoor vacations. The study findings are
used to suggest various strategic directions for European travel and
tourism marketers.
This article examines the findings of a survey of American pleasure travelers, who represent an attractive market in terms of size and economic potential for the travel industry. The study provides market-based information pertaining to American outbound pleasure travelers' destination activity preferences and their travel-planning behavior. More specifically, the study examines the travelers' trip-planning behavior and the importance attached to a variety of activities, amenities, and locational variables in considering four foreign destinations (Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe). Marketing implications of the findings are delineated.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.