Don’t miss the multi-generational travel market

Here’s a market you may have missed: at least five million family vacations a year in the US span not just two generations but three. They involve grandparents often paying for grown children and their siblings, according to estimates from the US Travel Association.
 

“Grandparents are traveling with their families more, and they’re attracting cruise lines, hotels and theme parks eager for their growing business,” says the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
 

Virtually everyone is citing multi-generational travel as a hot trend.
 

Leading luxury travel network Virtuoso says multi-generational travel is the biggest emerging travel trend for 2011. VacationWired.com says multi-generational travel is “a trend expected to take off this year.” And American Express acknowledges the trend, though they make the point that family travel gatherings have been around for a long time.
 

Almost one-third of US grandparents who took vacations last year went with their grandchildren, up from 22 percent as recently as three years ago. That number will go up as the US population ages, says travel guru Peter Yesawich.
 

Hotels and theme parks are soliciting this new business but cruise lines particularly are targeting it by emphasizing activities for all ages — offering everything from all meals furnished to group discounts.
 

All-inclusive and vacation rentals are also eyeing this group.
 

New technologies and a tight economy are spurring the trend. So are lifestyles.
 

Harder working US adults are often looking to vacations as surrogates for family time.
 

"So if you have three or four days off, and you have kids and grandkids, there’s a higher probability they’ll come along with you on vacation," said Yesawich, who heads The Y Partnership in Orlando.
 

Other factors for grandparents, who are playing the major role in this development:
 

—They are more active than generations past.
 

—They are most accustomed to travel.
 

—Their fitness levels are better than ever.
 

—They have sympathy for their own grown children, who often are required to have two working adults to pay the bills.
 

Those factors were cited by family travel specialist Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, who heads WeJustGotBack.com.
 

"To cope, it’s a common set-up for Grandma and Grandpa to pay for that family trip to Disney World," Rowan Kelleher said.
 

Many multi-generation families choose cruising for trips because of the activities for all ages.
 

Royal Caribbean’s new mega-ships, Allure and Oasis, for example, are popular for distinct neighborhoods that let one relative relax in a quiet area while another plays Boardwalk games with the kids. And Disney’s new Dream now offers an adults-only area and gourmet dining to appeal beyond children, said Jeff Sherota, senior vice president in Fort Lauderdale for cruisesonly.com.
 

"Before, cruise lines tended to cater more to one group: Carnival or Disney to families with kids or for seniors, Celebrity or luxury lines. Now, ships appeal to a larger spectrum," Sherota said.
 

"The family traveler puts a premium not just on family time but value," Yesawich said. "The cruise lines have that figured out."
 

By David Wilkening