Jules Verne creates tours for ‘Queenager’ women

Jules Verne has partnered with Noon – an online community for women aged 50+ – to offer “adventurous” tours.

The small-group escorted tour operator said the “trailblazing partnership” is aimed at “queenagers”, which it described as an “under-served” market.

The term “queenager” was coined by Noon’s founder Eleanor Mills, who will accompany the inaugural Noon Voyages tour to Egypt.

Departing in the autumn, the tour will include exclusive visits to Cairo’s new Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids and the Sphinx.

It will be guided by female Egyptologists who talk about the influential roles of women throughout Egypt’s history.

Clients will also be able to connect with ‘Noon Circles’ and ‘Queenager Conversations’, to share experiences and discuss key midlife challenges.

Jules Verne said the queenager demographic drives more than 98% of travel decisions and makes up more than 70% of the operator’s solo travellers at Jules Verne – yet women aged 50+ remain an under-served market within the travel industry.

Debbie O’Neill, managing director at Jules Verne, said: “At Jules Verne we have always championed an adventurous spirit.

“As such, we are thrilled to be partnering with Noon to offer travel experiences that truly resonate with the trail-blazing queenagers, a group that are calling out for travel experiences that reflect their unique lifestyles.

“With this partnership, we are also calling upon other brands in the industry to do the same in offering midlife women tailored experiences and taking this demographic into consideration when deciding how they market their products.”

Noon founder Mills added: “Noon Voyages is all about giving queenagers travel opportunities they deserve and showing that there is plenty of adventure still to be had for women in the 50+ age group.

“Our own research finds that over half of queenagers feel ignored or invisible in society, with 45% stating that they don’t feel the travel industry understands their needs.

“Through this partnership with Jules Verne, we are offering a travel product that directly serves women aged 50 and over and making a new queenager paradigm in travel a reality.”

Founded in 2021 by journalist and speaker Mills, Noon runs supportive ‘Circles’, events and retreats and provides content and commentary to its 50,000-strong community.

Picture of solo woman traveller in Cairo by Shutterstock/xamnesiacx84