Retailing and Older Adults

Older adults are the targets of travel promotions such as special tour packages and transportation offers, which often include plane, train, and bus discounts. Even cruises are designed to accommodate older adults’ needs. Hobbies that older adults are likely to engage in, such as woodworking, gardening, cooking, and handicrafts, are promoted (Schofield-Tomschin and Littrell). Entertainment centers, such as the one located in Branson, Missouri, provide celebrity entertainment specifically marketed to older adults. However, the movie and television industries do not target older adults. The movie industry targets individuals between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine. Some observers consider older adults a missed market.

In addition to entertainment activities, some older adults seek educational opportunities. They often combine travel, entertainment, and educational activities. To meet these needs, a nonprofit organization called Elderhostel was founded in 1975. Elderhostel organizes learning activities for older people and offers programs throughout the world. These are often held on college and university campuses during the summer or vacation times. Courses focus on a large variety of subject matter from astronomy to English literature.

In addition to the Elderhostel movement, colleges and universities target older adults as consumers of special learning opportunities. Learning is promoted as a lifelong activity, with workshops and courses targeted to older adults. For example, in May of 2000, the governor of Wisconsin signed a bill allowing free college attendance to those sixty and older. Thus, older adults can attend classes at schools in the University of Wisconsin system and in the Wisconsin Technical College system, provided there is space available.