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Older people taking more holidays

23 October 2013 09:14

Package holidays are a popular choice for over-65s, a survey shows

Package holidays are a popular choice for over-65s, a survey shows

More older people have been heading off on their travels in the past 12 months, a survey shows.

The baby boomer generation - aged 55 to 64 - took an average of 3.1 holidays in the 12 months to August 2013, up from 2.7 holidays per person in the previous 12 months, travel organisation Abta found.

And among the over-65s, there was a taste for adventure as 6% took an active or sporting holiday in the 12 months to August 2013 - almost twice as many as those aged 45 to 54.

Around a quarter (22%) of those aged 65 and over also plan to spend more on their holidays in 2014 than they did this year, compared with a 19% national average, Abta added. However, no matter how much people in the age group spend on their holidays they should remember to arrange seniors travel insurance before jetting off.

Travellers aged 45-54 are least likely to spend more next year while, overall, around half expect to spend the same as they did in 2013. Package holidays are a popular choice for over-65s, as well as those aged 35-44, while older people are also more likely to have travelled alone, along with those aged 25-34.

The demand for holidays among older people was not reflected overall, with the average number of breaks taken by Britons falling from 3.5 in the 12 months to August 2012 to 3.1 in the following year. This may be partly down to squeezed finances for younger people, with two-thirds of those aged 16-24 holidaying with family in the 12-month period.

Abta said: "This suggests that young people may be turning to mum and dad to help them go away in the face of cost-of-living pressure, rising tuition fees and high youth unemployment."

But four out of five Britons managed to take a holiday either in the UK or abroad in the 12 months to August 2013 - roughly the same number as in the previous 12 months.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "It's clear Brits are still keen to preserve their main annual holiday. The heatwave undoubtedly had an impact on the late-booking market as, unlike many poor summers in the UK, people chose to enjoy the weather at home, which may go to explain the slight decrease in the number of holidays taken per person."

Abta surveyed 2,008 consumers to mark the beginning of its annual convention in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

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