There are two seasonal peaks in US visits to Travel Agencies and Destinations and Accommodations websites: the summer and mid-January. I did some checking to see who is thinking of booking holidays now and whether that is any different from the summer peak. Indeed, there are some interesting differences.
The most stark difference is in the age of visitors to travel websites. It seems that those aged 55+, so-called “silver surfers”, are most interested in escaping the cold. In the past four weeks, the group making up the largest share of visits to Destinations & Accommodations websites were aged 55+, making up 27.28% of visits to the category. The following table shows the breakdown of US visits by age to Destinations & Accommodations websites in the four weeks to January 19, 2008.
Hitwise US: Visits by Age Group to Travel – Destinations & Accommodation Websites. Four weeks to 19th January 2008

Similarly, 34.98% of visits to Travel Agencies were from those aged 55+, again making up the largest chunk of traffic in the past four weeks.
Contrast this to the summer peaks for these categories. In the four weeks to July 21, 2007 (the peak for visits to Destinations & Accommodations websites), 19.65% of visits to Destinations & Accommodations websites were from those aged 55+, with 35-44 year olds making up the largest share of visits. Silver surfers were making up a 39% larger share of visits to Destinations & Accommodations websites in the past four weeks compared with the summer peak.
Hitwise US: Visits by Age Group to Travel – Destinations & Accommodation Websites. Four weeks to 21st July 2007

Similarly, in the four weeks to May 26, 2007 (the peak for visits to Travel Agencies), only 23.87% of visits were from those aged 55+, a 47% difference to the most recent four week period.
The change in visits from the 55+ age group illustrates an interesting point about seasonality. We all know how important it is to tailor marketing campaigns to seasonal highs and lows. But this data offers a great illustration of why it’s also important to tailor your offer (and website content) to those seasonal changes. The content should be tailored not just to reflect seasonal offers but also with a different customer in mind. The family vacation package that sells well in summer won’t appeal to empty nesters looking for cruises and winter getaways.
To take this a bit further, I looked at Hitwise lifestyle data using MOSAIC profiles. The MOSAIC Group making up the largest share of visits to both Travel Agencies and Destinations & Accommodations websites in the past four weeks was Upscale America. This group is described as: “College-educated couples and families living in the metropolitan sprawl earning upscale incomes providing them with large homes and very comfortable and active lifestyles”. They are more likely than average to be over age 55. Based on offline data collected by Experian, this group is more likely than average for the US population to take cruises, to have spent more than $1,000 on a domestic vacation in the past year and to travel overseas.
Perhaps this explains why my parents (who prefer the label “cotton tops”) are headed to the Caribbean next week while I will be trudging through the snow. Oh, and apologies to anyone over 55 who takes offence to the term “silver surfers”. I know, 50 is the new 40 and yes, my hair is turning silver rapidly!