From one study came about the information pertaining to half of all baby boomers or people aged 45 to 59 dreaming of world travel. The people who account for 32 percent of all hotel accommodations purchased in the United States are those over 55. Most of these are leisure travelers, and most are spending impressive sums of money on restaurants, lodging, tours and sightseeing.
If you need to predict the impact of aging but active baby boomers on the travel industry, you do not need a crystal ball. Combined with trends toward early retirement and a healthy economy, the demographics forecast an unprecedented boom for the travel business. An industry boom is nearly always good news for job seekers and career changers. If work in the travel industry is something that you are considering, do explore your options.
In addition to being a travel agent, consider positions in marketing, sales, publishing and even Web page management. It will be wise for you to focus on the niches that serve mature travelers such as the group tour industry. A group travel manager for a travel agency said that packaged tours for seniors are a growth area with increasing competition from new companies. Here, several job opportunities include bus driver, tour guide, planner, customer service representative, and marketing specialist. Considering how most of the trips offered by this travel agency are meant for seniors, mature drivers and escorts are especially appreciated. A lot of our drivers are retired postal workers and city bus drivers. What exists between the passengers and the drivers is a good bond because not only do they share the same humor and outlook but they are of the same age. Training programs may be beneficial for travel agents but no specific training is necessary in many of the jobs in the travel and hospitality industry.
If you started as an outside travel agent before making the leap to running your own agency things will be better according to the vice president of marketing for a retail travel agents association. If you were to book travel arrangements for family and friends then you can earn a commission from an established agency. If you consider a special training program, such as the certification as a Specialist in Mature Adult Travel, sponsored by the association of American travel agents then you can capitalize on the trend toward senior travelers.
First, she thought about working for the travel industry and then this lady took early retirement from a US company after 30 years in supervision and customer service. Prior to sending letters and resumes to dozens of tour groups, she did ample research. In this case, the response was not heartening. One more letter was sent by her after a few months, this one to the very top, and what she got was a job offer from the vice president in charge of tours.
Happening five years ago, she started as a part time marketing specialist and quickly added the title Tour Escort to her resume. What she does now that she is in her 50s is still accompanying groups of senior travelers to such destinations as Branson, Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For her, she gets a lot of satisfaction from seeing people have a good time.
It can be exciting seeing the shows and sometimes getting up close to the stars when in Branson. She gets to enjoy other things too like the confidence expressed by groups that request her as the escort on their trips and the friendships she has formed with passengers. She gets help to balance the hard work inherent in days that can start before dawn and end long after the sun has set because of these advantages.
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