Almost two thirds of over-50s responding to new new poll plan to spend more than £3,000 on multiple holidays abroad this year.
The age group is least likely to say the Covid situation abroad (9%) or the war in Ukraine (15%) have impacted their desire to travel in the next six months.
New data from travel insurer AllClear, based on a national study of more than 2,700 people, revealed that:
- Compared to life before Covid lockdowns, 38% of over-50s said they planned to travel more this year than they did in 2019, with just 15% saying they would travel less.
- The majority of respondents were planning multiple holidays this year. As many as 59% intended to have two or three overseas breaks and a further 20% of over-50s wanted four or more holidays
- The pent-up demand to travel after two years of restrictions points to an early peak for overseas travel this spring. Overall, 21% of over-50s planned an overseas holiday in March, with 22% heading overseas in April and 31% in May. After a quieter summer period, which is common for the older travel market, holidays for the over-50s look set to hit an annual peak in September, with 32% planning a holiday abroad.
- Powering this appetite for overseas travel is a willingness to spend significant amounts of money for a safe, quality holiday experience. Nationally, 61% of over-50s plan to spend more than £3,000 on overseas travel this year, with 12% of over 50s happy to spend more than £10,000 this year.
Top five types of holiday for 2022 for over-50s:
- Beach holiday – 22%
- City break – 16%
- Cruise – 14%
- UK staycation -14%
- All-inclusive-14%
Top five holiday locations for 2022 for over-50s:
- Southern Europe – 31%
- Western Europe – 19%
- North Europe /Scandinavia – 11%
- North America – 9%
- Caribbean – 7%
AllClear Insurance chief executive Chris Rolland said: “The over-50s are itching to make up for lost time and this year they are planning multiple holidays and will spend heavily.
“Three in five survey respondents (60%) said they remained concerned about the prospect of a new strain of Covid this year, whilst 24% worry about facing a medical emergency while abroad.
“As a result, safety is a top priority for this market and many will spend heavily to have a safe holiday and have the best possible travel cover in place.”