2001 YEAR IN REVIEW

Travel by Activity and Age

Previous editions of the Travel Tracker featured trends with respect to business and leisure travel, as well as party composition and behaviors. This edition of Travel Tracker reviews top travel activities and age group trends as reported in the Travel Industry Association of America's Domestic Travel Report, 2002 Edition.

Travel Activities

The most popular activity among American travelers continues to be shopping, with 34 percent of all trips involving shopping of some form. Second is outdoor activities, including national and state park visits, with 23 percent of trips involving such recreation. Beaches rank third, at 11 percent, and gambling follows, with eight percent.

When analyzed by trip activity, the demographic profile of households is fairly similar for those participating in shopping, outdoor activities and beach recreation. Typically, these participants are married, in their mid-forties, working in managerial/professional occupations and have annual household incomes of $67,000 to $73,000. Travelers who participate in gambling as a trip activity tend to be older (52 years), more frequently come from a one-person household (27 percent) and have lower annual household incomes, at about $63,100.

Differences Among Age Groups

With Baby Boomers comprising 40 percent of the adult population, it's not surprising that the highest volume of travel, 44 percent of trips in the United States, comes from this age group. Mature travelers, defined as those age 55 and over, account for 33 percent of trips, while Generation X and Generation Y together make up the remaining 23 percent.

Obvious demographic differences are evident when comparing age groups. Generation X and Generation Y are the least likely to be married or own a home. Their average age is 29, and their average annual household income is $51,400.

Seventy percent of Baby Boomers are married, and more than 50 percent have children living in their households. Eighty-three percent are homeowners. Boomers are the most affluent age group, with an average annual household income of $78,600.

Among the Matures age group, 47 percent are retired. Their average annual household income is $67,900. Similar to Baby Boomers, a high percentage of Matures, 89 percent, own a home. They have the highest percentage of one-person households, at 27 percent.

Many trip characteristics are similar among age groups; for example, leisure is the purpose most often given by all groups for their trips. Yet a few differences are apparent. Baby Boomers are more likely to be traveling on business or attending a convention; travel by air; and stay in a hotel, motel or B&B. Matures are slightly more likely to be traveling alone and much less likely to be traveling with children than either of the other two age groups. Generation X and Generation Y travelers are slightly more likely to engage in shopping and outdoor activities than Matures, who are more likely to visit historical places/museums and go gambling.

For more information from TIA's 2002 Domestic Travel Report, contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792. Click here to sign up to receive the monthly Travel Tracker e-bulletin.