Tailor-made holiday options for senior citizens bitten by the travel bug

The 60-plus are no longer just doing pilgrimages or babysitting grandkids on vacation; they've become more adventurous and make up over 23% of the country's holiday business today

In a commercial world obsessed with catering to millennials and Generation X, senior citizens were largely at the bottom of the priority list of practically every industry under the sun, save for a few like pharma and healthcare. However with higher disposable incomes today, the elderly have become a great value proposition for the tourism industry, and there are several boutique travel companies focused entirely on creating curated experiences for them. Bengaluru-based 50+ Voyagers and the Gurugram-based Silver Wings offer tours to exotic destinations within and outside the country such as Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Kerala, Cambodia, Bhutan and Vietnam.

Gone are the days when senior travel was limited to pilgrim tours such as the Char Dham yatra, Tirupati and such like. Says Sangita Bhattacharyya, founder 50+ Voyagers Travel and Adventure Club Pvt Ltd, “It’s a misconception that senior citizens are interested only in pilgrimages. Todays’ ‘seenagers’ are seeking meaningful and authentic experiences that go well beyond just sightseeing.” 

Bhattacharyya talks of seniors who have done scuba diving in Bali, white water rafting in Ladakh, whale-cage diving in South Africa and parasailing in Manali. They are willing to spend money for a once-in-a-lifetime experience such as hot air ballooning in Masai Mara, Kenya, floating in the Dead Sea in Jordan or a Mt Everest flight in Nepal. Many even maintain a bucket list of Unesco World heritage sites, Wildlife safaris and cultural extravaganzas for their next visit.

For Mohit Nirula, who runs Columbia Pacific Communities, an upscale retirement home complex across five cities in India, his experience with seniors illustrates that people become far more indulgent after they turn 60. He says some are hanging up their boots earlier,  quitting their jobs well before the official retirement age, in order to pursue their passions and hobbies or do non-remunerative work that provides them intellectual or spiritual fulfilment. Others continue to work beyond 60 as they still have much to contribute to their organisations but are able to negotiate more flexible work schedules that allow them to indulge themselves in leisure activities such as travel.

How travel firms are reaching out

According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, commissioned by travel software provider Amadeus, an estimated 7.3 million senior citizens from India will be bitten by the travel in 2020. In recent years, the silver segment is increasing and accounts for over 23 per cent of the holiday business. For Thomas Cook India, this segment registered a YoY growth of over 10 per cent last year. India’s Gen S or Silver segment is a significant opportunity and seniors today are fit and raring to travel with plenty of disposable income, courtesy their savings and top-ups from their children, says Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head–Holiday, MICE, Visa, at Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. The company's 'Dream Series' starts at Rs 65,000 and has a 6-14 day itinerary covering destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Australia, Switzerland, UK, France and the United States. Taking special care of seniors’ needs, the package incorporates siestas with en-route tea breaks/comfortable stops along with on-trip medical assistance, handpicked elder friendly hotels, experienced tour managers, and high quality easy access vehicles.

What special features does the travel and tourism industry offer to make the experience comfortable for seniors? Ramya Mishra, a publicist of resorts and tour operators, says a whole lot of things are taken care of. For instance, entry tickets to various tourist destinations are managed well in advance. While designing a tour, travel companies ensure it is leisurely paced, road travel is shorter and minimum two nights' stay is arranged at each city to avoid packing/unpacking every other day. Tour operators and resorts enquire about traveller's health, medication and special diet needs, such as timely meals for diabetics. Before traveling, the agents generally take their medical prescriptions and keep them handy.  The diets are specially planned, keeping the health condition of the traveller in mind.

"Seniors generally prefer relaxed or leisurely paced holidays, and don't want to get tired or overwhelmed with day-long sightseeing," says Bhattacharyya of 50+ Voyagers. "They are willing to pay for a 5-star beach resort or luxury mountain-facing room for a relaxed vacation."

Comfort and convenience are priorities. Says 65-year-old seasoned traveller Alka Tandon, “We are at that stage of life, where whatever we do is not to 'impress' but to 'express'. It is a search for positive experiences and bonding with friends or family in the group.”

What does Gen S prefer-Group tours with peers or a vacation with family? Seniors are seen in both categories. Some even travel individually or with extended families. According to Anand Menon, Brand Leader, Travel Tours, Leisure Brand of FCM Travel Solutions, “We have observed 60 per cent of senior citizens travelling with individual groups or family groups in the silver segment, whereas 40 per cent contribute to cruise tourism and medical tourism.”

Domestic destinations that are gaining popularity among the Gen S travellers are Munnar, Kanyakumari and the Andamans, though traditional spiritual destinations like Varanasi, Amritsar, Rishikesh, Haridwar continue to be bestsellers. Vacationing abroad is a big trend now. In fact, a Thomas Cook India spokesperson says his company has had a strong uptake in demand for international short-haul destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai-Abu Dhabi, Macau, along with long-haul vacations  that combine VFR (visiting family and friends) with leisure, to destinations like the US, Canada, UK and Australia.

A growing number of senior travellers have shown interest in unique destinations and experiences, says Daniel D’Souza, President and Country Head, Leisure at SOTC Travel. Some of the countries that Indian senior citizens prefer, include China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. SOTC Travel’s ‘Super value mysterious China with splendours of Japan’ priced at Rs 2,95,480 a head is a popular package among seniors while in the domestic market, the ‘Flexi Golden Triangle’ covering Delhi, Agra and Jaipur (Rs 24,800 per person) is a big hit.

A snapshot of travel packages for the 60-plus
Price bracket	Price (Rs)*	Tour package name	Days	Inclusions
Up to Rs 5,000	4,188	Lonavala - Vintage Studio Homestay OYO	2N/3D	Highlights, hotels
Up to Rs 10,000	9,999	Evoke Lifestyle - Goa	3N/4D	Highlights, hotels, meals
Rs 10,000-20,000	17,999	Astonishing Rajasthan	4N/5D	Highlights, hotels, meals, sightseeing
Rs 20,000-30,000	27,000	Varanasi Gaya Prayag	3N/4D	Highlights, hotels, meals, sightseeing
Rs 30,000-50,000	43,945	Durga Puja Nomashkar Thailand	5N/6D	Highlights, hotels, meals, sightseeing, air fare
Rs 50,000-80,000

75,720 Best of Abu Dhabi with Dubai 6D/7N Accommodation, sightseeing, dinner cruise** Rs 80,000-1,00,000  99,400 Russia with Almaty 7N/8D Highlights, hotels, meals, sightseeing, visa, air fares Above Rs 1 lakh 1,21,014 Norway - Northern Lights, Svalbard & Fjords - Fall Collection; European tours 9N/10D Highlights, hotels, meals, sightseeing * Per person on twin sharing basis; ** 2 nights stay in Abu Dhabi, entrance to theme park in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi City Tour, Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, Marina dhow dinner cruise; Source: SOTC