ABTA 2014: About half of delegates told to go for snip
If men want to live a longer life, they should get castrated, Oxford professor of gerontology Sarah Harper told around 500 delegates attending this year’s ABTA Travel Convention in Ljubljana.
She said that men typically die earlier than women because of the greater amount of progesterone in their bodies, adding: "So, if you want to live longer, there is at least one solution…"
On a more serious note, Harper said the industry would have to be prepared for an ageing clientele as fewer people are being born and more people are living longer. In the UK, it is anticipated that 20% of the population will be over 60 by 2050.
As the pension age is also expected to creep upwards, workers of the future won’t enter retirement until well into their 70s, she warned.
"The question is will people of 75 still want to travel? The answer is yes because they will still be fit, active and healthy in their 60s, 70s and 80s. They will enjoy the same retirement as people did in their 50s."
However, she warned they would be frailer than retirees now and would need more care. "As travel providers, you will have to conceptionalise products," she said.
Harper also pointed out that, as customers aged, they wanted to deal with older travel consultants. "They want travel providers to be their age," she said.
"That’s great for you," she told delegates, "you will have jobs into your 70s.!"
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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