Have vaccine, will travel

or attend her beloved water aerobics classes, so as soon as she received the first dose of the vaccine, she booked a visit to Hilton Head Health, a wellness resort in South Carolina, where she’ll have access to a full range of fitness classes and activities. And when she arrives March 28, she’ll be fully vaccinated.

Older people are more eager to travel in 2021 than other age groups and also more likely to link the timing of their travel to when they receive their vaccinations, according to a January survey conducted by the travel agency network Virtuoso. In the study, 83% of respondents over 77 said they were more ready to travel in

2021 than in 2020, and 95% of the same group said they would wait to travel until they received their vaccine.

For travelers in their

60s, 70s and 80s, said Conor Goodwin, corporate marketing manager of Charlestowne Hotels, the ticking of the clock is another strong motivation to book as soon as an inoculation makes it safe.

“The 65-plus demographic is losing out on their golden years and they’re understandably eager to get back out there,” he said.

Some older travelers are even opting to finally book those big-ticket dream trips. Fernando Diez, who owns Quasar Expeditions, a luxury cruise operator in the Galápagos Islands, says that in December, when front-line health care workers were among the very first Americans to receive vaccines, he saw a wave of requests for trip information from doctors and nurses.

Since Jan. 1, however, 70% of his booking inquiries have come from guests over the age of 65 — in previous years, that number was closer to 40%. Most inquiries are for travel from June onward.

The tourism industry, battered by the pandemic, is now getting a muchneeded boost from this new surge. Hotels and resorts, which have faced record-low occupancy throughout the pandemic, are wholeheartedly embracing the fresh wave of travelers, with many rolling out new programming and features geared toward their oldest demographic.

At the Marker Key West Harbor Resort, which sits on two lush acres in the Florida Keys, transactions from guests over the age of 55 were 70% higher last month than in December 2020, translating to a 41% increase in spending.

Allie Singer, the resort’s director of sales and marketing, said the jump is almost certainly coming from newly vaccinated seniors.

The resort responded by bringing back programming that had taken a hiatus during the pandemic but was popular with older visitors in the past, including aqua yoga — which can relieve joint pain and arthritis — and a 5 p.m. “welcome reception” on the resort’s pool deck with appetizers and live music.

“It’s very attractive to the senior crowd at that hour,” she said.

Peter Rogers teaches an aqua yoga class, put on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, Feb. 13 at the Marker Key West Harbor Resort in Key West, Florida.

Jim and Cheryl Drayer have received the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccinations, and in March, they are heading to Maui for a vacation.