“There is a lot of repressed desire among the elderly and a sense of life running out,” said Jeff Galak, professor at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. “There is a theory called the salience of mortality: when your own mortality is brought to mind, behaviors change. We’ll see updates for better cruise ship staterooms and better hotel reservations. “
For travelers in their 60s, 70s and 80s, said Conor Goodwin, corporate marketing manager at Charlestowne hotels, the ticking clock is another strong motivation to book as soon as a vaccine makes it safe.
“The population over 65 is losing its golden years and they are understandably eager to get back to work,” he said.
The Bristol Hotel in Virginia, which is part of the Charlestowne portfolio, saw revenue for travelers over 65 increase 179% between December 13 and January 22. The French Quarter Inn in Charleston, SC, which is also run by Charlestowne, saw 11 percent more bookings for people over 65 between January 10 and 28 compared to December 22 through January 9.
Some older travelers are choosing to finally book those high-cost dream trips. Fernando Diez, owner of Quasar Expeditions, a luxury cruise operator in the Galapagos Islands, says that in December, when frontline healthcare professionals were among the first Americans to receive vaccines, he saw a wave of requests from doctors and nurses for travel information.
Since January 1, however, 70% of your booking inquiries have come from guests over 65 – in previous years, that number was close to 40%. Most queries are for travel starting in June.
“Most of them say that they have been vaccinated and are now comfortable traveling to a destination like Ecuador and the Galapagos,” said Diez. “Vaccination gives them the confidence to travel to a remote location.”