Silver Travelers: The first tourists of the post-pandemic era

They’ve got their shots and they’re looking to hit the road for a righteous getaway.
American seniors are vaccinated and ready to get back to living their retirement years by visiting and exploring, shopping and dining, and making the most of it.
As the largest demographic with disposable money, seniors are becoming the first wave of travelers and tourists after more than a year of destinations like New Orleans being shut down and furloughed.
“More and more people are getting their vaccines and those travelers are telling us that they cannot wait to return to New Orleans,” says Kelly Schulz, Senior Vice President of Communication with New Orleans and Company, the city’s tourism and marketing agency.
Schulz says the Big Easy is a favorite with senior travelers for a lot of reasons.
“Some of them may choose to come to New Orleans with their grandchildren, so multi-generational family travel is also popular.”
Unlike past notions of seniors traveling on buses or in groups and looking for less hectic types of getaways, the Silver Traveler wants to see it and do it all.
And New Orleans and Company are pivoting toward Silver Travelers to position the city to welcome visitors who are coming back to a favorite destination.
“There’s such a pent-up demand for people to come back to New Orleans,” Schulz explains. “People are ready to travel, they’re ready to see their loved ones, they’re ready to have those experiences that we create so well in New Orleans.”
Schultz says New Orleans is ready to welcome the Silver Traveler back to New Orleans: “Those visitors have always been great for our city and its good to see that once they have their vaccine, they’re having that boost of confidence and feeling like it’s a safe time to travel.”
So get ready, New Orleans. The Silver Travelers are here and they’re coming to party.