An annual survey of active members of the US Tour Operators Association depicting forecasts and trends for the 2012 travel season confirmed that experiential travel – or the E Factor as tour operators President Terry Dale calls it – continues to be a priority for travellers and was rated important/extremely important by 85 per cent of survey respondents to their overall growth and sales.

Baby Boomers ages 46 to 65 years comprise the largest age group of travellers seeking E Factor vacations. Boomers are also the largest market in general for tour operator members responding to the survey, representing nearly 60 per cent of their customers.

Experiential travel often refers to vacationing while staying away from the usual tourists spots and instead partaking in more culturally authentic endeavours. Examples include eating at restaurants frequented by locals, or perhaps participating in an outdoor adventure managed and operated by locals. But whatever the activities may be, they always are offered apart from the usual tourist trappings.

The region of the world with the most E Factor options for travellers is Europe, according to 37 per cent of members, followed by South America (20 per cent). Within Europe, Italy was named the most frequently as the destination offering the most experiential travel options. In responding why, members cited food, wine and culinary tours, historical and educational opportunities, art and culture in general. France followed closely behind, for similar reasons.

The thirst for learning experiences is driving member tour operators to increase E Factor itineraries. More than half (53 per cent) of the survey respondents plan to offer new experiential programs in 2012, with culinary tours topping the list at 26 per cent; culture tours at 22 per cent, and nature, adventure, photography and golf also cited.

Off the beaten path

When asked to name the top off-the-beaten-path or emerging destinations that will gain popularity in 2012, Vietnam was cited most frequently, followed by India, Ecuador and China.

“Europe provides such a wealth of cultural experiences it’s no wonder it continues to rank highly among our members’ customers,” Mr. Dale said. “At the same time, expanding programs to offer new and exciting experiences in more exotic destinations throughout the world will meet the growing demand for adventure from Baby Boomers and begin to attract the next generation of travellers.”

Encouragingly, more than half (53 per cent) of the members surveyed anticipate increasing itineraries in 2012 to destinations recovering from events this past year that negatively impacted tourism. Egypt was named most frequently as the country operators plan to increase tours to, followed closely by Greece, Japan and New Zealand. In fact, nearly one third of respondents (28.6 per cent) have already seen an increase in bookings to those destinations for 2012.

“Consumer demand for truly rich experiences will continue to attract experiential travellers to these hard-hit destinations, and they can return with confidence when they book with a US Tour Operators Association member,” Mr. Dale said. “Our members understand how rewarding these destinations are to their clients, and at the same time, the importance of tourism in helping to rebuild.”