Backpackers: The next generation? - Scholarly Commons Home

Backpackers: The next generation?
In New Zealand in 2005, backpackers comprised 10.6% of total international
visitors and 9.9% of total international expenditure, spending $642 million in
2005. They stayed an average of 30.5 days and spent $NZ 2766 per person. One
third stayed for more than a full month. In comparison, non-backpackers
averaged 19.3 days in country in 2005, and spent $NZ 2993 per person (MOT,
2006). More than 86% of backpackers were on their first visit to New Zealand
(TNT Magazine & NZBackpack.com, 2003, p. 11).
In this country, 77% of international backpackers were between 18-35 years of
age, and 23% were older (MOT, 2006). Older backpackers therefore contributed
approximately $147 million to the economy in 2005. Though the Ministry defines
“older” over 36 years of age, this thesis concentrates on backpackers aged 40 and
over to situate them within the literature on baby boomers’ travel motivations
and lifestyle segmentation. However, the qualitative data collected in this thesis
from accommodation guests and hosts alike suggest that the attitudes and
preferences of the baby boomers interviewed may apply to a broader age range.
As one younger traveller commented, "There are really only two age groups
here. The very young (aged 18-25) and everyone else".
Baby boomers
Baby boomers represent a generation of individuals born between 1944 and 1964
who currently range in age from their early 40s to mid 60s (Green, 2006;
Patterson, 2002; W. Strauss & Howe, 1991). Cohort segmentation – though
widely embraced by marketers since the late 1960s, is now gaining acceptance by
academics (Patterson, 2002, 2006; Pennington-Gray, Fridgen, & Synes, 2003;
Schewe & Noble, 2000). Baby boomers are one cohort of lifecycle studies in
which each age group is shaped by its “age location” within major life and
historic events (W. Strauss & Howe, 1991). The term “baby boomers” specifically
references people born in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
(Cleaver, Green, & Muller, 2000; Cleaver & Muller, 2002), but other markets
important for New Zealand also refer to populations of this age cohort as
boomers.
19