Senior travellers are getting in step with the rest of the population in getting to grips with technology, in an age that demands a great deal of online interaction in the travel space.
In December 2021 when South Africans resumed international travel, travel agents reported to Travel News that, aside from having to deal with a torrent of cancellations and reinstatements of air tickets, hotel bookings and other travel sectors, they were having to assist senior travellers to find, wade through and even fill in the multiple and often complex online documentation needed to travel at the time. See here.
Navigating itinerary planning along with COVID regulations, understanding foreign SIMs, downloading and understanding apps mandated by countries before travel for visitors to prove their whereabouts, vaccination status and/or test status, staying up to date with restrictions, handling QR codes and scanning and downloading them on phones – all daunting tasks, especially for the grandparents of the online generation.
At the tail end of 2022, as the end of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be well within sight, agents report that there has, overall, been an improvement in the tech savviness of silver travellers.
“I am finding more and more silver travellers to be more tech-savvy. There will always be the few who prefer physical documents and paperwork, but I have had 80-plus-year-old clients accepting electronic paperwork and payment methods with ease!” says Lori Bernstein, Team Leader at Flight Centre Nicolway.
Bernstein says some older travellers do need a bit of guidance on the technological front, for visa applications, online check-ins (this seems to be what they struggle with the most), documentation, etc. Most prefer to come into the store and get in-person guidance, or to even watch an agent show them live on their systems how to proceed with online requirements.
“They just like that helping hand and certainty that they're proceeding correctly and are always incredibly grateful. But more and more are becoming tech savvy to the point where they don't require too much assistance,” Bernstein adds.
It does occasionally still confuse some travellers that there are no physical tickets or paper requirements needed for check-in, but agents say that taking the time to explain to them how it works on the back end does reassure them, and being able to have an eTicket sent to their email and phone is also helpful. Bernstein said these travellers generally trusted agents’ advice and opinions.
“In my recent encounters post-lockdown, I have found that the technical skills of our silver travellers have most definitively improved,” says Chad Winter, of Flight Centre at Somerset Mall.
This does not mean silver travellers are entirely independent, however. Many still struggle but they walk in with a plan in mind, having done their own preparation and product research ahead of time.
There will always be those travellers who need help with every technology aspect, but in a recent Travel News poll, only 2% of the 292 travel agents responding said that having to help senior clients with tech issues was the thing they currently disliked about their job.
