Myanmar News Links: Pensioners fuel silver travel boom by flocking to backpacker hangouts like ...

By
Financial Mail On Sunday Reporter

PUBLISHED:

18:25 GMT, 6 July 2014

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UPDATED:

11:03 GMT, 7 July 2014

The over-55s are fuelling a boom in travel to far-off destinations more usually linked with students and backpackers, says travel agent Trailfinders.

Managing director Tony Russell said retirees were eschewing traditional destinations and jetting to places such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma.

'It's a huge part of our market now,' Russell said. 'People used to think of us as just for students, but those days are long gone. It's the older generation who are really fuelling the boom in long-haul travel.'

An aerial shot of the luxury Song Saa resort in Cambodia: The over-55s are jetting to places such as Cambodia

Russell said Trailfinders' latest results, in which turnover grew from £531 million to £566 million in the year to February 28, 2014, as 'excellent'. Profits jumped from £19.3 million to £30 million.

Russell added: 'Judging by the first four months of the current financial year we're on track to for another record this year.'

He put the performance down to increased levels of customer care at its call centres and 27 high street stores, and said while it had to be competitive on price, Trailfinders' focus was on helping people plan complex itineraries.

'The more complex a trip, the less effective the web becomes,' he said. 'We took the decision years ago not to sell online and everything since then tells us that was right.'

Popular areas include South America, Indochina and Burma, as well as fly-drive holidays in the US.
Owner Mike Gooley, who set up Trailfinders in 1970, received £2.5 million in dividends.