Health and safety and flexibility regarding booking and cancellations are the main priorities for older travellers, according to a new poll from Silver Travel Advisor.
According to the poll of 850 travellers conducted in July, only a third of respondents believe travel will return to “normal” as early as 2021, compared to 55% who were optimistic of a speedy recovery when asked the same question in May.
However, many were positive about continuing to travel in the future, and 63% said they were financially as well or better off than they were prior to lockdown.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the poll – 68% of whom were aged between 50 and 70 – said they intended to take a short break of up to four days in 2020, with the majority opting to self-drive and self-cater in the UK for their first trip.
However, 40% said they would travel to Europe for their first post-lockdown holiday, with a third expecting to have gone abroad by the end of 2020 and a similar number expecting to have travelled overseas by the first half of 2021.
Just under one in three respondents said they would take a short-haul flight this year, but only 12% expect to take a long-haul flight. One in 11 respondents said they would not take a short-haul flight again, while 25% said they would never fly long-haul again.
The majority of previous cruise passengers said they would do so again – with 83% of ocean cruisers and 86% of river cruisers happy to return.
Of these, 34% of ocean cruisers and 41% of river cruisers intend to do so again in the next 12 months, while 25% and 23% respectively said their return was dependent on a Covid-19 vaccine being found.
Of those who have yet to try ocean cruising, 57% said they would never cruise, but only 33% of non-river cruisers said they would completely rule out the option in the future.
Three quarters of respondents to the poll said they felt that quarantine upon returning to the UK was “broadly necessary”.
Debbie Marshall, managing director of Silver Travel Advisor, said: “This new survey, compared to the one we did in May 2020, tracks how older travellers’ attitudes have changed over lockdown.
“They are much less affected by the economic consequences than others and are eager to return to the travels that many most looked forward to in retirement. But they are wary – upcoming travel plans are much closer to home and UK holidays where people feel most in control, by self-catering and self-driving, are most popular.
“Looking longer term, older travellers’ horizons seem to have shrunk – at least for the time being – 25% of all respondents and more than a third of over the 70s say they never want to fly long-haul again.”
Marshall added: “The priorities of older travellers have shifted significantly from previous good experiences and company reputation to health and safety issues and the flexibility of booking and cancellation. Interestingly, price barely features.
“Insurance however is absolutely critical. Older travellers will not take risks and unless they have Covid-19 cancellation insurance in particular, they simply will not leave the country.
“This reinforces the need for the all players in the travel insurance industry to step forward with solutions to this catch-22 situation. The older traveller has the resources and the wanderlust to keep travelling, but without appropriate insurance, they, and their money, are not going anywhere outside the UK.”
To read the full report, published in August 2020, click here.