Forget the rest of 2020. The generation that makes up what German travel industry analysts call the “best age” for traveling—the 50-to-70-plus segment of the country’s population—is, as Americans would say, “pumped up” for travel next year. This is one of the conclusions one draws from the results of a recent survey commissioned by the Frankfurt-based tour operator trendtours Touristik.
In fact, says the survey, more than half (61 percent) of those surveyed are staying with their holiday plans for 20201. Yes, despite the impact of the coronavirus-generated global pandemic that has virtually stopped long-haul air service to and from Germany and, at the same time, blunted travel to and among European countries, the desire of the “Best Agers” to travel remains strong.
Despite the corona pandemic, the best agers’ desire to travel remains unbroken. 61 percent of those surveyed are planning a vacation trip in the coming year. This was the result of a representative survey by the market research institute YouGov, which was carried out on behalf of trendtours Touristik among 1,632 people.
More than one in four people in Germany are now aged 60 or over.
Other key findings of the survey:
—54 percent of those between the ages of 50 and 70+ who would like to travel in the coming year are sticking to their travel plans for 2021.
—12 percent not only want to make up for the vacation they missed this year, but also want to make another trip.
—Most of the participants in the study, 56 percent, want to travel abroad in 2021.
—43 percent of those who want to travel are planning a vacation trip within Europe.
—35 percent want to go on a trip in Germany within the coming year.
—13 percent are planning a long-distance trip.
—Proximity to a hospital and the availability of a German-speaking doctor do not play a role for most when choosing a travel destination, with only 17 percent of people aged 70+ saying that their booking behavior had changed due to the corona to the effect that the quality of the healthcare system had become more relevant for them when planning their vacation.
—Interestingly, the 17 percent are only one percentage point above the 50-to-59-year-olds (16 percent) and even one percentage point below the 60-to-69-year-olds (18 percent).
Observed Markus Daldrup, chairman of trendtours Touristik, a tour operator specializing in best ager trips in Germany, “The survey shows that the 50+ generation is still keen to travel despite the ongoing pandemic. That gives us hope that the booking trend will recover as soon as it is possible to travel again,”
A note on methodology: The data used were based on an online survey by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, in which 1,632 people took part between September 25 and 30, 2020. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 50 and over.
