Baby boomers changed the rules of retirement and rural tourist operators may need to change how they operate to grab the boomers’ travel dollars, said a futurist.
Baby boomers have done the cruise ships, have travelled to Italy and spent winters in Florida. Now they’re looking for something different, said Richard Worzel of Future Search, at a Growing Rural tourism conference in Camrose.
They want adventure and education, they want it rugged and they want it comfortable, said Worzel.
“What have you got that they want?” Worzel asked the group of community tourism promoters and farm based business owners.
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Baby boom travellers want experiences that are authentic. They’re attracted to locally grown food, whitewater rafting, camping and book festivals related to the area.
“Your success starts with your roots in rural Alberta,” he said. “No one will come to your area to eat at McDonalds.”
The Lord of the Rings trilogy created a tourism boom for New Zealand with travellers looking to visit hobbit holes and film locations. Once they have travelled around the world to the tiny island country, they stayed for the local food, wine and sights.
“Tomorrow’s tourists travel for the experience.”
Even young travellers are looking for experience. Some high school students skip Florida beaches at spring break in favour of building houses for Habitat for Humanity in South America.
Tomorrow’s travellers also want different food prepared creatively. They may choose a competing bed-and-breakfast if it uses fair-trade coffee and buys electricity from green energy companies.
The travellers have opinions. It’s sometimes better to bite your tongue and nod rather than get in a philosophical argument over green energy or the real value of fair-trade coffee.
Worzel told the group not to overlook business tourists who want to attend conferences outside the main cities. Business travellers don’t want to travel more than 90 minutes from a major airport. They also want good internet access and cellphone coverage.
Using the internet and websites to sell your product will become a necessity for rural businesses.
During a recent layover in Calgary, Worzel used the internet to research a quick day trip to Waterton Lake in southern Alberta.
He checked out restaurants and ate at a small family-owned restaurant that received glowing reviews on the internet.
“Don’t expect you’ll have any dirty secrets. There’s a real chance someone will have been there,” he told the group.
