Antartica is literally the last frontier on this planet, and a visit to the frozen continent is the stuff bucket lists, and pretty wistful and adventurous ones at that, are made of. Not exactly the kind of place you expect to find a bunch of Indian senior citizens traipsing about, right?
The Antartica trip recently organised by Kare Voyage, a travel company specialising in senior citizen travel, turned out to be an extraordinary adventure for a group of 10 senior citizens, the oldest a sprightly 75.
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“I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it was just a matter of making up my mind,” said Sujata, one of the senior citizen travellers. “When we finally set foot on the frozen continent, the experience was nothing short of magical!”
Sujata continued, “Surrounded by towering glaciers and playful penguins...we were reminded of how vast and beautiful the world is – and how much of it we are yet to see.”
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The organisers also were mindful of the unique requirements and health factors involved, but were determined to let the silver voyagers have their due. “The trip was not just about visiting Antartica – it was about empowering seniors to dream big and live fully,” said Shefali Jain Mishra, founder of Kare Voyage, “Age is no limitation when it comes to exploration.”
As attitudes towards old age and the elderly themselves get financially secure, it is opening up an entire new category to tap for the travel, tourism and hospitality sector. At the recent BOTT Tourism Conclave attended by Union tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat in Delhi, industry stakeholders highlighted the changing face of Indian tourism by mentioning two disaparate, but crucial, travel segments – one, the Gen Z and millennials who take their cues from social media and want more experiential trips, and two, senior travellers, and their special requirements and interests.
Senior travellers are also getting emboldened with tour operators offering tailor-made solutions for their itinerary, which will include breaks during long journeys for resting, doctors and basic health requirements on call etc. The Antartica trip’s organiser Shefali, for example, recounts how planning the itinerary involved meticulous preparations. “The key was choosing the right cruise. Since we were travelling with seniors, we had to be mindful of their health and other factors.”
More and more hotels are warming up to senior citizen guests becoming a growing customer base, adding in facilities ranging from wide doorways, rooms with anti-skid mats, grab bars in toilets, low beds, emergency call buttons in bedrooms and bathrooms and even larger font size on menus and stationeries. Additionally, many hotels offer discount on wellness services and special fare packages.
The outbound travel market for Indians aged above 65 is projected to grow 193 per cent next year, with Future Market Insights predicting the market expanding from $16.89 billion last year to nearly $36 billion.
With ‘positive ageing’ becoming the buzzword, elders in India are realising that life after retirement and children growing up needn’t be about rest and reflections alone. This is evidenced by the increasing number of Indian senior citizens taking on the world. Like Bengaluru couple Kumar and Radha. According to reports, they have notched up 31 countries so far, with South America and Antarctica left in their bucket list. “We save 60 per cent of our income for travel as we have fewer commitments now,” they were quoted as saying.