Travel Industry is Making Improvements That will Encourage Adults 50+ to Travel More in 2025

Top government officials and C-Suite executives in the travel industry have recently announced a broad range of improvements that are likely to ensure that adults 50+ will be more likely to travel this year.

For marketers, this means that the nation’s most economically powerful demographic is likely to be spending significantly on travel and leisure – perhaps more than ever.

Now into the fourth year of post-pandemic recovery, adults over 50 are flocking to the hospitality and destination sectors, as top brands are focusing on easing many of the pain points that have traditionally caused some older adults to reconsider boarding a plane, vacationing abroad, or planning a trip. It’s a group that marketers in these industries, as well as adjacent sectors, have been ignoring at their peril.

AI Technology

Artificial Intelligence, already in wide use, will continue to improve airline security, safety, and operations, easing the path for older Americans to buy a ticket and get on board. Speaking recently at a travel conference in New York, David Pekoske, Administrator of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), highlighted three significant changes aimed at alleviating aggravation and inconvenience. These include:

• Broader use of enhanced facial recognition software to reduce wait times at airport security checkpoints. This year, three cities—New York, Detroit, and Madrid—will test nonstop security screening systems.
• The rollout of new CT scanners that allow passengers to keep electronics and liquids in their carry-on bags. This upgrade, aimed at easing terminal congestion, will be a boon to many older adults, who will not have to rummage through heavy suitcases to locate and remove these items.
• Easier connections on international and domestic flights, thanks to technology that better standardizes the process and optimizes efficiencies in scheduling and responds to real-time changes.

In another game-changing development, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma announced in September that Americans can now renew their passports online–a bold step toward a seamless, tech-driven travel experience for everyone, and an improvement that will undeniably encourage older travelers.

Personalization

With profits high and travel bookings parallel to or surpassing pre-pandemic levels, travel executives are also focusing on improving experiences by making them feel more personalized.

This means mining data from their reservation systems and hospitality programs to anticipate customer needs and personalize guest experiences. The benefits to adults 50+ will become increasingly apparent in 2025, as these “special considerations” go far beyond offering senior discounts on room rates.

Personalization could include knowing if a customer prefers ground-floor accommodations, requires a handicap-friendly room, or needs a walk-in shower. Offering these options will become a routine part of the booking process as companies acquire greater knowledge about the individual needs and preferences of their customers. This means marketers can offer more customized experiences and take some of the uncertainty out of travel accommodations.

Multi-Generational and Wellness Travelling

Traveling with family has long been a priority for many adults 50+, and the industry is responding. Increasingly, multiple generations of families are traveling together, including members of one of the fastest-growing customer segments: Single women over 65.

“Today, travel is becoming a highly customized experience,” says Matthew Upchurch, Virtuoso’s CEO of Virtuoso, a network of over 9,000 travel advisers. .

Customers are now asking more and more for wellness and longevity activities as part of their travel experience.

This means either trips or destinations that in and of themselves are wellness-focused, like a weekend at a hot springs resort, or travelers who seek out wellness experiences like a spa treatment, yoga or similar activities, during regular business or leisure travel. This presents a myriad of opportunities for marketers to connect with 50+ travelers and offer them the kinds of services and experiences they are seeking.

The Global Wellness Institute projects that wellness tourism expenditures will top $1 trillion in 2024, more than double what it was in 2012.

The Bottom Line

A survey by Expedia Media Solutions found that baby boomers spend an average of $6,600 a year on travel, more than any other age group. Better technology and new ways of approaching travel by industry leaders are driving changes that will lead to even greater spending by older adults.

This article originally appeared on Advertising Week.