If the Seniors can afford it, then why shouldn't they Enjoy.....
The new crop of 60 plus year youngsters are not from the stone age era anymore. They are not the ones to sit at home idling around, reading newspapers, watching television or live in the past.
This new generation is independent, ambitious, demanding and wants to live life on their own terms. They don't expect children to take care of them or be dependent upon children as a broken piece of furniture.
The larger point of debate is, how well is the Hospitality industry prepared to cater to the guests and tourists who are senior citizens especially those who have special needs?
While on one hand the hospitality sector is well versed in soft skills, guest relations, food and beverage, but then what about Eldercare. Is the staff aware about the needs of Older guests which can be different from the preferences of a normal guest?
Accessible infrastructure, safeguarding, emergency monitoring, food allergies, infection prevention and control etc are a few areas which needs training at the ground level in the hospitality industry.
The larger hotel chains and tourism companies are becoming inclusive for senior citizens but then, the mid-segment and budget hotels can benefit from basic understanding of Gerontology.
India has always had a good in-bound travel segment, especially senior citizens from Europe, the same trend can be seen to be growing in domestic and international travel amongst Indian seniors.
Be it leisure or spiritual circuits, seniors are travelling more, they are not shy to travel in a wheelchair or use a walker; all they want is a safety net in case of any emergency.
Coming back to the question of being equipped to handle the needs of senior citizens, it might be a good time for the hotels, restaurants and travel agencies to start sensitizing their staff about key issues related to the 60 year plus youngsters.
Guidance documents and Eldercare resources are freely available on the Elderly Care India website: https://elderlycareindia.org/
Pankaj Mehrotra
