“Grey pound" comes to the fore

The power of the “grey pound” – in relation to travel and tourism at least – has been revealed in a survey by the airline BMI. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the BMI magazine’s survey of 3,000 adults showed that over-65s have visited 12.8 countries on each on average, compared to only 5.8 countries for 18-to 25-year-olds. The magazine’s editor Dan Linstead is quoted as saying that the results show an “explosion” in “grey pound tourism”. He reportedly said: “There are more people over 65 than ever before and they have more time and more disposable income. They are choosing to spend their time and money on travel, and are not just visiting the traditional results.” Specifically, Linstead is quoted as saying that four times as many over-65s as under-35s have visited Morocco, with more than twice as many having visited South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. He reportedly added: “Thailand is somewhere we associated with young backpackers but, in fact, 11 per cent of over-65s compared to five per cent of under-25s have been there.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd