Generations
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Impacts on Tourism
and Accommodation
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Impacts on Food
and Beverage
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Hotels may need to adopt a universal design approach that includes lower beds, brighter lighting, larger fonts, and walk-in showers that fit the use of the seniors.
The facilities should recognize the physical limitations of the older customers.
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2. Baby boomers
These are the people born after World War II, between 1946 and 1964. They are identified with the spirit of the 1960s.
They are occupied with materialistic possessions and money and treat work and personal sacrifice as keys to success. They continue to travel and go out.
They do not believe in simple advertising. They demand full information to understand the products rather than just believe in pictures and descriptions shown in advertisements.
They are driven and dedicated.
They want to feel connected to others
They prefer a caring environment.
This is a group that is too big and too rich to ignore.
They begin to reach the retirement age, meaning that they would spend more time for traveling.
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Tourism
They represent 36% of all leisure travelers and 38% of business travelers in United States.
This segment takes an average of 4.2 leisure trips and 7.5 business trips per year.
They are the affluent travelers and most of them travel for business.
Boomers are less likely to use internet to search travel-related information or make purchases for travel products.
Boomers value health and wellness and they favor medical tourism and health tourism (e.g. spa, yoga and meditation).
They also seek excitement by
participating adventure travel which involves hunting and fishing, strenuous hiking and tracking wild animals.
, Boomers also like to visit museums, sightsee in cities and visit historical sites.
Accommodation
They take more domestic and international trips than the other cohorts.
They place greater importance on comfort, value and quality of the accommodations. They expect hotels to have comfortable furniture, massaging showerheads, in-room coffeemakers, makeup mirrors, and free Internet service.
The educated baby boomers like accommodations which enable them to explore the culture of the community or interact with local residents.
They tend to stay longer.
They concern about the branding of accommodations.
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Food preference
The more educated boomers may like quality food experiences such as wine tasting. They are the major group of wine consumers among the four generations. They consider wine consumption as relaxed and healthy activities.
Food service preference
Some older boomers have become grandparents and may visit restaurants that offer a family-friendly atmosphere and provide an upscale,
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They value personal care and services provided by hotel staff without too many disturbances during the stay.
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3. Generation X
They were born between 1965-79, in a period with increased divorce, big layoffs and decreased job security, increased consumerism, and extensive advertising.
They are preoccupied with material possessions and shopping. They are driven by consistent goals to make money and buy consumer products.
They emphasize work-home balance, and think that family life should not be totally neglected.
They do not belong to any group and tend to oppose against the decisions of adulthood.
They adapt well to change.
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Tourism
Gen X makes up 31% of all leisure travelers and 36% of all business travelers in United States.
They take an average of 3.5 leisure trips and 6.9 business trips per year.
Gen X is more likely to travel with children than other generations.
They tend to use Internet to search travel information.
They want the need of fun and seek unique experience in their travels.
The preferred travel activities for Gen X are to visit amusement and theme parks, attend spectator sports, playing golf and tennis and go to
beaches .
Gen X are usually sensitive to overpricing and they try to find products that offer the best value for money.
Accommodation
Some studies found that Generation X people spend more than the other age groups as leisure travelers.
They like to stay in a place that is trendy and stylish, and may not stay in the same chain hotel.
Generation X travelers are more demanding of hotel facilities: name-brand mattresses, stylish showers, and flat-panel, high-definition TVs.
They want quiet rooms, wireless Internet access and a comfortable space to work and rest.
Cool and high-tech enough to appeal to the younger customers.
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Food preference
Many people in this group prefer fast food, especially hamburgers.
They cite branded foods more than the other generations, including favorite packaged cookies, ice creams, candies and snacks.
They concern about the branding and quality of wine and are willing to spend more on wine consumption.
They consider wine consumption as kinds of ‘sophistication’.
Food service preference
Generation X people are concerned with value and they favour quick-service restaurants and midscale operations that offer all-you-can-eat salad bars and buffets.
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