Dutch citizens aged 55 or older are more travel-hungry than ever before and their importance for the tourism sector will only increase in the years to come, due to this age group becoming larger and their growing prosperity. Dutch ABN Amro bank expects their holiday spending to increase by almost half from 7.17 billion euros in 2022 to a stunning 10.68 billion euros in 2027.

This is one of the findings in their report ‘Ripe for adventure’ in which the bank has researched the holiday spending of the Dutch Over-55 traveller market. This takes into account, among other things, an ageing population, the price level of holidays until 2022 and the development of wages and pensions. Based on this, ABN Amro expects total holiday spending by over-65s to rise by 810 million euros to 5.07 billion euros by 2027. But the holiday spending of the group of 55 to 64-year-olds – previously called ‘the lost generation’ – is also on the rise. ABN Amro expects them to spend 2.7 billion euros more on holidays in the coming years. In 2027, holiday spending by 55 to64-year-olds will amount to 5.61 billion euros.

Spending on cycling holidays

Over-55s account for 41 percent of all tourist overnight stays in European hotels, holiday parks and star-rated campsites. Tourists aged 65 and over are responsible for almost a quarter of tourist overnight stays. The importance of these groups will increase for the travel industry in the coming years due to their capital growth and ageing population. As a result, senior citizens more often have opportunities to travel further, choose more luxurious accommodations and look for special experiences. This leads to the emergence of new travel trends among older generations, such as active holidays or culinary trips. For example, the popularity of cycling holidays is increasing considerably. ABN Amro expects spending on these holidays to cross the one-billion-euro mark for the first time this year; more than half of this is accounted for by over-55s.

Suitable offer

People over 55 are more travel-hungry, active, and adventurous than ever before. “The tourism sector can respond to this with an offer that meets the needs of these elderly people, for example by adapting to the popularity of cycling holidays. Hotels and holiday parks can underline their location along cycle routes and realize guarded bicycle parking facilities intended for electric bicycles,” says Stef Driessen, sector banker leisure at ABN Amro. “For tour operators, the popularity of multigenerational travel is good news. This type of trip – grandparents, parents, and grandchildren going on a trip together – is usually booked well in advance and that entails fewer risks for travel providers. In addition, people over 55 and 65 are not bound to school holidays, so they can also book holidays outside the high season. For example, the preseason is more popular with them than the high season. In addition, no less than 12 percent of the total holiday spending of over-55s relates to the autumn holidays.”

The full report – in Dutch only – can be downloaded HERE.