Boston, MA - As the U.S. celebrates Older Americans Month, beginning today, with the theme, "Never Too Old To Play," Alan E. Lewis, Chairman and CEO of Overseas Adventure Travel, offers the following insights into the soft adventure travel preferences of the 50+ market, including top 10 travel destinations for 2012.
"How older Americans travel today is far different from just a generation ago, when coaches would shuttle older travelers through five countries in 10 days to see the sights," said Lewis. "At OAT, today's traveler is healthy, physically fit, and off the bus -- eager to explore remote destinations, interact with local people, and engage in cultural activities. And close to 3 in 4 of OAT's 50,000 travelers are female (70%) -- up from 2 in 3 (60%) just 10 years ago, with one-third of them traveling solo."
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are more than 94 million Americans older than 50. Travel is the number one pastime for Americans over 50 [Immersion Active 2010], accounting for four leisure trips per year and making up 57 percent of all leisure travelers [Travel Industry Association 2012]. Today, more than 40% of Americans are single [2012 U.S. Census] with more than 35 million having taken a vacation by themselves in the past three years [Travel Industry Association 2012].
2012 Top 10 Adventures for Americans 50+
- Botswana
- Serengeti (Tanzania and Kenya)
- Machu Picchu & the Galapagos
- Turkey
- Peru
- Costa Rica
- India
- Baltics
- China
- Vietnam
"Having raised their children and now at retirement or close to it, many Americans over 50 are ready to play," said Lewis.