THE senior traveller stood out as a hot topic at this year’s Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF) forum, with delegates at this year’s ITF concurring that Taiwan was not equipped for older travellers.
ITF’s chairman, CT Su, observed that senior travel is in its infancy in Taiwan. However, 12 per cent of Taiwan’s population is over 65 years old and this is set to hit 15 per cent in the next few years.
“Unfortunately, outbound operators in Taiwan haven’t designed any senior travel itineraries and (do not cater specifically for elders),” he said.
“The senior market has different demands and requirements when going overseas. What’s more, they are not tech-savvy and really rely on travel consultants for advice and recommendations. This niche segment would definitely travel domestically, especially on weekdays during the low season.”
Chuck Y Gee, dean emeritus of the School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii, remarked that the problem is two-fold: a more demanding elderly market who needs more services but fewer people to serve them due to falling birth rates.
“Taiwan should have discussed this five to six years ago in order to accumulate experience on product knowledge, how to deal with this segment and find out what they value,” he said.
There have been some sporadic efforts, however. Yilan County is currently holding The Forever Young festival, running between October 12 and 27, which aims to draw seniors to travel to the county for the festival in autumn, the most scenic time of year. The county is promoting 14 themed routes including culture, ecology and an all-season camping concept launched in October.
Eva Chang, business and tourism department representative, Yilan County Government, said: “The festival targets both domestic and overseas seniors with various competitions such as singing, dancing and Chinese chess. This will be an annual autumn event, and in order to incentivise the market, we have lined up three coach companies in Taipei to offer free rides for competition participants.”
