Travel is up for older Americans despite the current climate

"Despite an uncertain economy, thousands of older Americans are flocking to Grand Circle Corporation’s travel forums across the country and booking trips," announced Vince Cook, CEO of the company whose brands, Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel, provide international vacations for Americans 50 and older.

Between January 1-March 31, 2009 (Q1 ’09), 12,000 older Americans attended 44 forums in 43 U.S. cities and 5,000 of them booked $20 million in trips. Four out of 10 (42%) of attendees booked one or more trips at the forum.

"Like all of us, older Americans have been impacted by the economy, yet that hasn’t stopped them from booking overseas trips," said Cook. "They’re mindful that they have limited years to travel, and they’re fully intent on seeing as much as they can while they can. Where we’ve seen the impact of the economy is in greater demand for exceptional travel values, which is one of the reasons they’re drawn to Grand Circle. We’re known for value and excellence," said Cook.

In 2008, 40,000 older Americans attended one of 90 Grand Circle’s travel forums across the country and purchased $50 million in trips, while this year, the company will host 120 travel forums in 16 states and anticipates some 50,000 travelers in attendance. Despite Grand Circle’s having conducted such forums for more than a year, in March 2009, more than 1000 travelers attended one of two events in San Diego and Manhattan Beach and booked $1.1 million in travel in a six-hour period.

Grand Circle’s travel forums are casual gatherings that provide an opportunity for travelers to meet each other, for solo travelers (76% of whom are women) to engage with potential travel roommates or travel companions, and for travelers to learn about Grand Circle itineraries and offers for couples and solo travelers.

According to Cook, the top 10 most popular destinations/trips for 2009 to-date are as follows:

The Great Rivers of Europe (Grand Circle river cruise)
Egypt & the Nile (Grand Circle river cruise tour)
Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe (Overseas Adventure Travel small group tour)
The Romance of the Rhine (river cruise)
Machu Picchu & the Galapagos (Overseas Adventure Travel small group tour)
India (Overseas Adventure Travel small group tour)
Unexplored Serengeti: Tanzania (small group adventure)
Eastern Europe & the Black Sea (river cruise tour)
Australia, New Zealand & Fiji (Grand Circle escorted tour)
Inside Vietnam (Overseas Adventure Travel small group tour)

"There’s such high demand among older travelers to connect with each other and to talk with those of us who put their trips together," said Cook. "For them, travel is a bright spot during a challenging time. If they can get a good deal, not much is going to stop them from packing their bags and heading out."

Established in 1958, Grand Circle Corporation is a leader in international travel, adventure, and discovery for Americans age 50 and older and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices throughout Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Through its brands Overseas Adventure Travel, Grand Circle Travel and Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises(R), which serves the two brands, the company offers a wide range of small-group adventures by land and by small ship, river cruises, escorted tours and ocean cruises worldwide. More than 1.5 million people have traveled with Grand Circle since 1958.

For 2009, Grand Circle anticipates an overall total of 125,000 travelers and $500M in sales.