Latest Silver Travel Survey provides insight on coach holiday market

Following a presentation at CTA’s 2018 Conference by Silver Travel Advisor’s Debbie Marshall, CTA agreed to support the annual survey carried out on behalf of the mature travellers’ review website in order to get some further insight into coach tour passengers’ perceptions and experiences.

The 2019 Silver Travel Advisor Survey provides a very interesting snapshot of what people look for in the way they travel, how they book, and what they value. Silver Travel Advisor bills itself as the ‘voice of mature travellers’, and although it talks about ‘older travellers’, its age range starts at 50, not the start of ‘getting old’ for many of us these days. Nonetheless, the survey covers a key demographic for coach tour operators and the survey of 1,200 of the organisation’s 100,000 members comprised 75 per cent in their 50s and 60s, with 61 per cent retired.

A third of the survey respondents had taken a coach trip in the last three years, with 13 per cent having taken one for four or more days.

For those planning to re-book a coach holiday, 36 per cent say they would prefer to spend more money on the quality of the hotel and food and 17 per cent would prefer a smaller group. The comfort levels in the coach and the amount of time allowed, and whether passengers feel ‘rushed’ are key factors that could dissuade re-bookers as well as those who say they prefer to keep their own timetable while on holiday.

Have you taken a coach holiday or day excursion in the past three years?

33 per cent of respondents have taken a coach holiday or excursion in the last 3 years, and 13 per cent have taken one of four or more days.

If you were to consider booking a coach holiday or excursion, what would be important to you?

Ranked out of 5, the most important influences are word of mouth recommendation and review sites such as Trip Advisor or Silver Travel Advisor. Choosing a local company is third.

Which of the following features of coach holidays or day excursions are important to you in considering booking?

The most appealing features are destination, followed by the services of a tour guide and home pick-ups. Interestingly, on-board wi-fi is valued above tea and coffee facilities on board, showing how older travellers want to stay connected on holiday.

If you would take another coach holiday or day excursion, would you do anything differently next time?

Most would spend more on the quality of hotels and dining, and prefer a smaller, more active group

If you would not take another coach holiday or day excursion, why not?

The main barriers to repeat booking were wanting more time away from the coach, a more comfortable vehicle and a smaller group size.

If you have never taken a coach holiday or day excursion, why not?

The biggest response was for those who said they don’t want to spend so much time on a coach and because they wanted a more independent holiday or didn’t want to travel in a group.

The survey also asked respondents to identify features of coach holidays that are important to them. The responses covered a range of issues:

• Not spending too long at meeting point to change coach
• Comfy seats with good leg room, on-board toilet and no background music
• Not moving on every day, at least a few 2/3 night stops with visits to local attractions
• A local pick-up point is essential
• And most importantly, a good driver who understands the needs of the passengers and ensures they are met.

In addition to the specific set of questions on coach holidays and excursions, the Silver Travel Survey provides important marketing insights about overall spending intentions, booking processes and what influences buying decisions.

Overall, 77 per cent of the respondents expect to take one to three holidays in 2019, up by 10 per cent compared to Silver Travel’s last survey, and by 17 per cent compared to 2016. Around a quarter expect to take four or more holidays and there is a trend towards booking earlier with almost half booking 6 months or more in advance.

In terms of the type of holidays preferred, city breaks come top with 45 per cent popularity, while internet searches are the most common form of travel inspiration followed by review websites and brochures posted to the home. Silver Travel Advisor comments that “the age of print is definitely not dead!”

The annual spend on holidays is shifting slightly for the over 50s, according to the survey. Most continue to spend up to £3,000 a year although there is an increase in those spending less than £1,000 – now at 28 per cent compared to 20 per cent in last year’s survey. The luxury end of the holiday market is not declining however, according to the data, with those spending more than £5,000 a year remaining at 12 per cent.

Social media is an increasingly important factor for older travellers, a point that Debbie Marshall reinforced to delegates at last year’s CTA conference. Two thirds of the Silver Travel respondents are on Facebook with 31 per cent on Twitter, and almost two thirds of them say they access social media every day.

Another important finding in the survey concerned the imagery used in operator brochures. Respondents were asked to rank a series of photographs to say which ones would appeal to them most. The clear outcome was that scenic, sunny images win, with photographs of people and winter conditions much less popular. Here’s the selection of images that Silver Travel offered and the responses:

Which of these styles of photography would appeal to you most in the marketing materials for a travel company?