For several decades now there has been a trend towards a declining birth rate and therefore rapid ageing of the British population. With good medical supplies, older people stay healthy and live longer: in the past twenty years life expectancy has risen from 70 years in 1981 to 75 years in 2001 for men, and from 76 to 80 years for women (Soule et al. 2005). When retiring in their 50 or 60s, people can expect to live twenty more years or longer. Soon people over 50, the post-war baby boomer generation born between 1946 and 1965, will constitute the majority of the population.
In contrast to people retiring in the 20th century, 21st century retirees are active and try to enjoy their leisure time. Although ‘consumer society creates negative […] images of later life, by implication, if not directly, by valuing and emphasizing youthful body image’ (Morris 1998 in Bradley & Longino 2001, p.18), ‘old’ people immerse themselves in sports and other social activities, living life to the full.
Holidays play an important part in this lifestyle as they are important for the ‘individual and social improvement and development, the resultant benefit of the self, including social self, being transportable back into the everyday environment as part of an ongoing life experience’ (McIntyre 2007, p.121).
In the past decades, several travel operators have tried to buy into the mature market. They established brands for the over 50s, featuring names like First Choice’s 'Leisurely Times', Thomson’s ‘Young at Heart’, Cosmos’ ‘Golden Times’ and Airtours’ 'Golden Years' (Ylänne-McEwen 2000), all off which basically offered beach holidays around Europe. Now their brochures have vanished from the market. They either have been replaced by updated concepts or been incorporated into the ‘mainstream’ summer and winter brochures.
In this essay, I would like to explore why these travel programmes have been rejected by the young at heart and what kind of holidays has replaced them. I will have a critical look at the representation of the over 50s in the new brochures. I will deconstruct the mature holidaymaker, considering what they want and need of their holiday and which identity they derive from their activities and destination choice.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Travel and Identity
3. Brochure Themes
4. Picturing practices – brochure vs ‘souvenir’ photographs
5. Conclusion
Objectives & Research Themes
This study explores the shift in travel marketing for the over-50s demographic, investigating why traditional, age-specific holiday programmes have been largely abandoned in favor of more integrated, active travel concepts, and how current representations in travel media construct the identity of the modern mature holidaymaker.
- The evolution of the "new-age elderly" and their active consumer identity.
- The intersection of subjective age, identity formation, and destination choice.
- Critical analysis of ageist representations in modern travel brochures.
- Comparison between "passive" stereotypical holiday models and active, individualistic travel pursuits.
- The function of souvenir photography as "signifiers of self" and social status.
Excerpt from the Book
Travel and Identity
Identity formation is a constant progress and never concluded. In the fast-moving age of communication technologies, sociologists have come to believe that everyone has more than one identity. These identities become more and more liquid, as race, gender and class lose importance while mediation by consumption is growing (Shilling 2003, Bauman 2001). With identities evolving from ‘self-discovery, personal growth and lifestyle choice’ (Morgan & Pritchard 2005, p. 32), old people are said to derive their sense of identity in later life from the achievements of the past and what remains to be accomplished in the future rather than from a set of stereotypical—usually negative—attributes of old age. Unless they are ill or depressed, older people do not feel “old.” (Biggs 1999, in Bradley & Longino 2001, p.18, also see Mansvelt 1997)
This leads me to an important concept at the heart of the revolution of holidays for the elderly: the idea of subjective age (Muller & O'Cass 2001). Subjective age can be seen as the self-perceived age, basically meaning: how old a person feels. Research has shown that the subjective age of the ‘new-age elderly’ (Schiffman & Sherman 1991, quoted in Mathur et al. 1998, p.265) is considerably lower than their chronological (actual) age: many feel up to 20 years younger and prefer activities for an even younger target group (Mathur et al. 1998). The older they are, the wider is the gap between subjective and chronological age.
It is questionable though if these new-age elderly actually feel younger, or if they simply would like to be perceived as younger as they are striving for the ideal of youth promoted by the media and in advertisements. Research has shown that new-age elderly women feel a higher need to stay young than traditional elderly women (Sherman et al. 2001). Yet disregarding the apparent positive self-image of today’s over 50s, society keeps a hegemonic view of ‘old’ people as frail, passive and dependent (Thornton 2002), and therefore in need of support and security.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the demographic shift towards an aging population and introduces the study's focus on how travel operators have transitioned from specialized "elderly" brands to more inclusive, active holiday concepts.
Travel and Identity: Examines the psychological concepts of subjective age and identity formation, highlighting how mature travelers use active holiday experiences to construct a youthful self-image that counters societal stereotypes of frailty.
Brochure Themes: Analyzes the marketing strategies of various travel operators, demonstrating the friction between lingering ageist tropes and the newer, more diversified approaches to travel that emphasize personal accomplishment and lifestyle.
Picturing practices – brochure vs ‘souvenir’ photographs: Critiques the visual representation of the elderly in promotional materials and explores how personal tourist photography serves as a tool for status claiming and the performance of an "authentic" self.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the "over 50s" are a highly heterogeneous group that rejects patronizing, infantilizing travel models in favor of autonomy, choice, and active engagement.
Keywords
Over 50s, Mature Holidaymaker, Identity Formation, Subjective Age, Cultural Consumption, Tourism, Travel Brochures, Baby Boomers, Ageing Population, Lifestyle, Self-Concept, Consumer Behavior, Representation, Hegemony, Active Leisure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the relationship between identity formation and cultural consumption, specifically how the over-50 demographic utilizes holidays to challenge or reinforce societal perceptions of aging.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
Key themes include the shift from traditional "senior-only" travel products to diversified lifestyle tourism, the role of subjective age in consumer behavior, and the visual representation of older adults in media.
What is the central research question?
The study explores why older, specialized travel programs were rejected by the "young at heart" demographic and how modern brochures represent the needs and identities of contemporary mature travelers.
Which methodology is employed to analyze the topic?
The work employs a qualitative, analytical approach, deconstructing the content and imagery of travel brochures and integrating existing sociological and marketing theories on aging and tourism.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body investigates the tension between the "hegemonic view" of the elderly as passive and dependent, and the reality of an active, adventure-seeking baby boomer generation, alongside an analysis of how photography functions as a status marker.
Which keywords best characterize this publication?
Primary keywords include Over 50s, Identity Formation, Tourism, Subjective Age, Cultural Consumption, and Lifestyle.
How does the concept of "subjective age" influence the holiday choices of the over 50s?
It suggests that individuals often feel significantly younger than their chronological age, leading them to choose travel experiences and activities typically marketed to younger age groups to align their lifestyle with their perceived self-image.
How does the author view the role of "souvenir" photographs?
The author argues that these photographs act as "signifiers of self," allowing travelers to construct and document a narrative of achievement and status that they can display to others upon returning home.
- Quote paper
- BA, MA Kathrin Gerbe (Author), 2007, The relationships between cultural consumption, identity and holidays for the over 50s, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/80561
