Tourism Research Centre releases new report on seniors travel parties to PEI
The Tourism Research Centre at UPEI's School of Business is pleased to announce a report profiling seniors-only travel parties to PEI. This report is based on the results of the 2007-2008 PEI Visitor Exit Survey and classifies seniors as those 55 years of age or older.
Of all seniors travelling to PEI, about 30 per cent travelled with no other age group, and the highest proportion of seniors-only travellers came from the USA (51 per cent of all parties from the USA).
'Senior travel parties tend to spend less per visit than all travel parties who come to PEI, but they spend more than the average amount on a per-person-per-night basis,' stated Dr. Paul Lewis, Research Director at the TRC.
Going sightseeing and on driving tours were the two most prevalent activities for seniors (60 per cent overall for all senior travel parties). Visiting friends and relatives was the most common activity for senior travel parties from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (63 per cent and 68 per cent respectively). Shopping for local crafts and souvenirs was an important activity for those from outside the Maritimes. Visiting historical and cultural attractions appealed most to parties from international origins outside of the USA (74 per cent) and to Canadians coming from provinces other than Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes (67 per cent). Going to the beach was less important for senior travel parties from all jurisdictions compared to family or adult-only travel parties.
As found in other exit survey studies of all travel parties, senior travel parties stayed longer in the province's rural tourism regions than its two urban regions, despite fewer travel parties visiting these areas. Compared to adult-only, family or mixed travel parties, seniors-only travel parties tended to take longer trips. Generally, this led to a bit of extra time in PEI, but the overall percentage of the holiday spent in PEI decreased compared to other travel parties.
'We want those who are now visiting with older children to continue to visit PEI as they move toward retirement and their children leave home,' said Dr. Lewis. 'As baby boomers age and retire, this segment of visitors is going to become increasingly more important to PEI's tourism industry.'
This report is based on exit survey data collected from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. It is available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website: www.trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. More information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.
