How to Manage Your Most Valuable Asset – Your Employees

Author: John Traveler
Source: ezinearticles.com

Managing your employees is crucially important as it could lead to adverse effects in the company. If you are in a supervisory role and you improperly manage your employees, it may result in projecting an image that may put the company at risk. A company that promotes supervisors based on limited factors may result in having an incompetent staff. An example might be that a supervisor who builds morale and leads the team to an over target production will be favorable for promotion. However this could be a trap for the management and the company as a whole since those factors might lead to administrative and law related risks. A supervisor who seeks maximum results may lack the understanding of underlying consequences of overworking employees.

Employee Rights

Employee complaints will result from sub-qualified supervisors. If you are a supervisor you need to understand that insulting your subordinate to impose activeness in production could amount to legal measures. Also, exposing your subordinate to hazardous working conditions without knowledge of such risks could result to legal measures taken by the employee against the company. Complaints resulting from supervisor’s negligence could be costly for the company. Sexual harassment not handled correctly by supervisors may lead to a public outcry and legal exposure. Underpaying your employee will also result to possible court actions. Wrongful terminations made by unqualified supervisors may also cost the company as it can lead to a string of costly court battles. All these legal matters are directly related to a supervisor’s ability and capacity to manage their employees. If you are a supervisor you need to be well acquainted to not only production, but administrative and legal implications in an organization so that you understand and know how to use the correct methods for attaining the ultimate performance from your employees.

In the interest of the subordinates

It is clear that managers must be highly rated. They have to know and leverage the ability of their employee and convert them into measurable results and real outputs. Creating a favorable working environment is a key factor. The manager’s role contains a wide dimension of skills including monitoring the morale of their employee. Frustrated subordinates will result to underproduction. The effects of a great manager are often overlooked; however the difference between a good and a bad manager is definitely visible.

Eight Hour Journey.com – Your guide to climbing the Corporate Ladder
Visit: http://www.EightHourJourney.com

Direct Mail for Cruise Ship Lines

Author: Lance Winslow
Source: download

Cruise Ship Lines must fill up their ships and they often do discounting in order to fill every room on large cruises. It makes sense for both travel agents and cruise lines to find inexpensive ways to advertise and market their discount and luxury cruises in order to insure that they achieve 100 occupancy for the cruise; easier said than done.
However, cruise lines know that if they get a couple on a cruise and they enjoy themselves then they are more apt to sign up for a bigger cruise in the future. Therefore they know they must get them on that first cruise and that means they must advertise.
One of the best ways for cruise ship lines to market is to co-sponsor and co-pay with their certified travel agents using direct mail marketing in the direct mail marketing coupon packages. These direct-mail marketing packages should be sent to all households within a 15-mile radius of the travel agent. The cruise ship line should take up half the costs for the mailings.
Direct mail marketing works and the return on investment is quite high. Cruise ship lines and travel agencies should send out direct-mail marketing packages every three months, especially to those ZIP codes containing high net worth individuals. Perhaps you will consider this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates with Mapping Technology

Author: Lori Feldman
Source: articleage.com

On Superbowl Sunday, Domino’s Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas?and mapping technology helped. How do 60,000 pizza outlets serving 3 billion pizzas per year compete in an industry where reputations and dollars are dependent on “fast, hot and delivered to the door?” Global Positioning System (GPS) technology!
Here’s how you can use this great invention to increase your direct mail results–even if you’ve only got one store with local customers.
GPS may be mapping from outer space, but desktop mapping technology can be a “weapon of mass destruction” for competitive marketers. With it, you can visualize your database information to see patterns that have a geographic component. For retailers and service businesses, that translates into “Which locations or neighborhoods am I best positioned in to serve my customers?”
Retailers typically serve a trade area of up to 10 miles. Service companies like to set up “routes” to maximize their travel time. By seeing a visual of your customer data, it’s easy to see where you should bulk up your marketing efforts and where you should scale back–neighborhood by neighborhood–instead of by zip code, which is the way most companies think of their target area.
Rather than sending mail to “everyone in a 3-mile radius,” marketers can use mapping to analyze demographic trade areas at a finer level, such as carrier routes, zip+4′s or Census Block Groups, to monitor their return on investment. Eliminate underserved areas, and you’ll decrease advertising costs and increase results!
Future mailings can suppress weaker or non-responsive neighborhoods and increase mailing quantity to “like” demographic areas, resulting in a mailer’s dream: Fewer mail pieces, more results. You can even overlay demographic information, such as home value, income, business population, etc., onto these newly mapped areas for an additional layer of intelligence.
Competitive Analysis
Mapping is also a solution for competitive analysis. By plotting yours and the competition’s store locations, then profiling the markets for age, income, home value, zip code penetration, etc., you’ll find kernels of truth that can lead you to an offensive marketing strategy or better site selection.
Mapping can be a valuable tool even when the business’s only marketing asset is a customer list of names and addresses without transaction (purchasing) information or anything else because critical geographical information can be appended and then analyzed. Franchisors and chain stores rely heavily on mapping technology to assign territories and drive customer traffic based on natural and man-made barriers (highways, rivers, bridges, etc.). Business marketers can improve “inquiry to closing” rates, plan sales calls more effectively, realign sales territories and measure sales force activities.
Mapping projects can be performed “in-house” with a relatively inexpensive software purchase of approximately $300-$400 or projects can be hired out for more sophisticated results that link back to spreadsheet or database information for ongoing analysis and can cost from $50 – $2,500. Whether your business delivers pizzas or manages a dealer network of 1,000 HVAC technicians, mapping technology can add a visual dimension to data analysis that is often more understandable than spreadsheets and graphs.
Lori Feldman is president of Aviva, a mailing list and database marketing and Internet consulting firm and an ACT! Software Certified Consultant. She is this year’s Direct Marketer of the Year, awarded by the Direct Marketing Assn. of St. Louis. Reach her at http://www.aviva-aviva.com/mapping.html

Discover The World With Satellite Tv

Author: David Johnson
Source: articledashboard.com

If you are like so many other people out there, you have always told yourself that you are going to do some travelling some day, when you get around to it. The big problem for most people, is getting both the money and the time together to do it. So there really are only two options available for you to choose from. The first option is to join the military service and see the world or you can join a satellite service provider and see the world, from the safety of your couch.

The military option is far too dangerous for you anyway. With high definition satellite TV programming from Direct TV, with Dolby surround sound audio technology, its all so real looking and sounding and there are no mosquitos and you can drink the water out of your faucet and not get sick. With the National Geographic Channel you can be on safari on the African Savannah with just the click of a button, if the tigers get a little too close for comfort, you gan just click the channel to the history channel and be right in the battle for hamburger hill.

Dodging machine gun fire as you creep towards the bunker you have to blow so you can save all your buds, who are all pinned down just over the next ridge. Then its time for some music, like maybe the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Your right there in the front row and its the best concert you have ever been to and its alot safer than the history channel you were just at. The night is beautiful and the people are beautiful and your feeling the effects of the beer that your drinking, with the pizza you just had delivered.

Direct TV has some of the best high definition programming packages available, with up to thirty channels in some programming areas. Also the nice folks at Direct TV will provide you with the latest in the line of high definition receivers that they carry. With the digital video recorder, you can record every one of your couch vacations so you can show all your friends and family where you have been, when they haven’t seen you in so long.

With Direct TV you can get up to two-hundred and fifty channels, when you sign up for their biggest programming package and that includes standard digital programming and high definition. If you aren’t quite ready to take the high definition route, they have loads of programming packages that can fit anyones budget. Their entry level package is recognized in the industry as one of the best packages for the money and it doesn’t leave you short on programming.

So no matter if you just want to watch the best and the latest news, twenty-four hours a day or take in some home decorating tips you gan use or if you want to go all the way and be some kind of world traveler. Direct TV has the programming you will need to do all fo that. The folks at Direct TV also have great promotional packages for you to take a look at. Right now, among other things, they will give you a free digital camera when you sign up with them.

Cheapest Way To Travel To Malaga

Author: Johnathan Bakers -
Source: articledashboard.com

Malaga is located along the southern coastline of Spain in the Costa del Sol region. It is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea and is included as part of Andalusia, one of Spain’s seventeen autonomous communities. The Malaga airport is the most commonly used airport for those traveling to the Costa del Sol area with its annual passenger count as thirteen million. The number of people using the airport continues to grow and, consequently, a third terminal is anticipated to open in 2008. Airlines at the Malaga airport offer a variety of flights to and from destinations across the world, with connections to airports in over sixty foreign countries and throughout Spain.

Several larger discount airlines offer lower-priced flights to Malaga. Finding cheap flights to Malaga should not be difficult. You can contact the airline directly for flight information if you know which airline you wish to use. You can also use the services of a travel agency or search and make a reservation online. You will find that there are no direct flights with discount carriers from North America to Spain. There will be at least one connection or layover, oftentimes in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and possibly another stop in Spain before reaching Malaga.

Discount fares often come with less convenience, as the discount airlines offer few services to make up for the cost of the discount fare. You may want to opt for a larger, non-discount airline if you do not want any inconvenience, but if you do choose a discount fare and experience some inconvenience remind yourself of the money saved. One difference in flying with a discount airline is that they often restrict the number of bags allowed. Though most airlines have some policy on the number of bags you can carry on or check-in, discount carriers may have a more stringent policy on baggage. Be sure to confirm the airline’s baggage policy and find out how many bags you are allowed. Otherwise, you may find that you are required to pay a fee for the additional baggage which is sometimes more expensive with discount airlines. Another difference is that you will have at least one layover, or maybe more, depending on the carrier, the departure location or that particular flight package. Sometimes, more stops during a flight results in a better deal. Finally, when flying with cheaper airlines, you will have to retrieve you bags at each stop and check them in again for each part of the flight. You cannot simply check in your bags initially and get them when you arrive in Malaga. You must wait in line at each airport and go through the baggage process each time.

Get a Clear Mental Picture of the Goal Already Accomplished

Author: Greg Vanden Berge
Source: articleage.com

“A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done” – Vince Lombardi
One reason why people succeed at accomplishing goals is through their determination to become successful. You must first be able to visualize where you are going before there is any hope of achieving your goals. Written goals are like maps with directions.
You have got to have a destination, direction and a plan of attack.
If you were starting out on a journey or vacation would you just get in your car and drive with no sense of direction on how to get where you are going. You could get in your car and start driving and still end up at your destination. But the chances of you getting there faster would be greatly increased by using a map with directions to your destination.
Written goals are meant to be read like a map, you must have directions, a path on which to travel with the intention of arriving at your destination.
Write down a clear to the point statement of what it is you want to receive out of life.
Your Goals must be in writing. Once it goes into writing the mind will start working on them subconsciously. The traditional goal checklist is largely a product of old technology a pen and a piece of paper.
It is a good idea to write the goals down on a small piece of paper or index card and carry them around with you either in your purse or your wallet. This way you can review them often.
The difference between a goal and a dream is the written word.
Example:
Let’s say one of your goals is to get a truck. The first thing you need to do is write the goal down. Write it down in the form of a positive affirmation.
I am going to practice my typing 30 minutes each day.
I will start smiling and saying hello as I walk by people at work.
a) Is this a goal you can actually accomplish? Is this goal believable? If the goal is not believable it is going to be hard to accomplish. Smaller goals are going to be easier to complete and the more you complete the more goals you will set for yourself.
Can you practice typing? Yes
Will you be able to find 30 minutes a day and practice typing? Yes
b) Is the goal going to be challenging? Those easy goals will form good habits as you complete them. You will see your self starting to make progress. The small goals will keep you motivated to write new goals. The larger goals that you set for yourself will force you to grow Mentally. You need to have short term and long-term goals so you can continue making progress while staying motivated.
Is the typing goal challenging? Yes
Is the typing goal a short-term goal? It could be a short or a long-term goal depending on how many words I want to be able to type per minute. If I am typing 30 words per minute today and I would like to be able to type 50 words per minute I might deal accomplish this goal in three months. If I want to be able to type 120 words per minute this might take up to two years. Now it would be considered a long-term goal
c) Start to make an outline on how you wish to achieve your goals. The help you will need to accomplish your goals such as the, information, knowledge, people, organizations. In each case write them out in a clear list and go over them that.
Here is an outline of my typing goal:
April 2, 2001 typing 30 words per minute
May 2, 2001 typing 40 words per minute
June 2, 2001 typing 50 words per minute
Do I need more information, a book, a teacher, computer software or do I need to find a local class on typing?
I will choose to get a computer software program and hold myself accountable for the progress I am making.
Keep your outlines simple and to the point.
d) Set a deadline for your goals. Analyze where you are now in relation to the goal and then measure how long you will reasonably need to complete the goal. It’s not unreasonable for a long-term goal to be over five years.
In my outline I have provided dates and how much progress I am going to accomplish. If I can’t meet my deadlines I just need to extend them a little longer. These deadlines are not set in stone and never should be.
e) As you can see I have written a clear goal with a proper outline and now I need to set the goal into action. You should read your goals daily. Set them by your bedside, your desk at work, or post them on the refrigerator. Putting these goals in action will require consistent action from you.
I will practice typing from seven o’clock to seven thirty each night during the week. If I miss one day during the week I will use Saturday or Sunday as a backup day.
You can always plan on problems in reasons why you’re not going to be able to practice typing one day. So in this case it would be great to be able to have a cushion as part of your plan. Things happen during the week that will interfere with being able to stick with your goals.
f) Start visualizing our goals. Get a clear mental picture of the goals one at a time. Start seeing your goals as completed. Follow the visualization process in Chapter 4. If you can visualize your goals clearly you will start to find ways to accomplish them.
Look at yourself typing more letters to your friends and family.
I can’t use my new skills at work for career advancement.
Start visualizing what you are going to do with your new typing skills.
Why do I want to be able to type faster? I am planning on writing and book therefore this will be a useful tool in being able to speed up the writing process.
“You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures” – Charles C. Noble
Let’s say one of my goals is to go fishing in Alaska. I write my goals out in outline form. My flight plan, which fishing poles I’m going to use, whose going with me, how I’m going to get the money to pay for the vacation, where exactly I’m going fishing,(be specific). Now I start visualizing the trip from images off of the Internet or from magazines that I have collected about Alaska. Soon you’ll find yourself going to the store for groceries as you drive by a sign that says Alaskan cruise packages. You have driven by this travel agency hundreds of times on your way to the grocery store. You think to yourself that’s odd I remember seeing that travel agency before. What is happening in your mind is that you’re reticular activator is now in motion. You are starting to see things that are familiar to your subconscious mind. This goes back to the experiment earlier on with visualizing things and now you start to notice them. Now while you are at the grocery store you are wondering in the back of your mind if this travel agency has any other vacation packages. On your way back home from the grocery store you go to the travel agency and you find out that they have low cost vacation packages that include fishing, Lodging and air travel.
This is a very common occurrence after you start goal setting you will start noticing more things that were always there before. You might seek help for a certain goal and realize a bookstore or local library ride around the corner.
Get a clear MENTAL PICTURE of the goal already accomplished. Make the image crystal clear, as vivid in the mind’s eye as you possibly can. Play that picture over and over in your mind.
You can think about the goals as long as you want to.
You can plan out how you’re going to accomplish your goals with a outline.
You can tell every person on this earth about your goals, you can print your goals out in big letters paste them all over your house, you can read them every day out loud, you can be the most positive energetic optimistic creative person around. But if you take no action you will never accomplish anything.
Now that you have written goals it is time to start accomplishing them.
Remember persistence and staying motivated are the main keys to accomplishing your goals. There is an old saying “Never… never… never… ever give up”.
Greg Vanden Berge has been involved in personal success for over 35 years. He has educated himself through everything you can think of almost :) He has written a top selling book http://startlivingyourdreamstoday.com and is currently working on creative ways to educate people on how to become suceesful in business. http://100moneymakers.com

How to Book a Cruise Vacation Online

Author: Brians Jenkins
Source: ezinearticles.com

If you have never booked a cruise vacation before, or if you have always made your cruise arrangements through a travel agent, the process of booking a cruise vacation online may seem a bit daunting, if not downright confusing. Booking a cruise vacation online is pretty simple and straightforward once you have decided on the cruise that you want to take. The steps discussed below can help you find and book a cruise vacation online with ease.

Where Do You Want to Go?
The first step in booking a cruise vacation is deciding on a destination. While most people might think of the warm tropical islands as ideal cruise spots, there are cruise vacations that can take you all over the world. Whether you want to spend five days in the Caribbean or three weeks traveling through the Norwegian waters, there is a cruise line for you. From Africa to Alaska, you will find amazing cruises that will take you wherever you want to go.

Choose a Cruise Line
Once you have decided where you want to go on your cruise, you need to find out which cruise lines offer trips in that area at the time that you want to travel. You will also want to narrow your search by choosing a cruise line that offers the kind of cruise that you want to take. Carnival Cruise line, for example, tends to cater to the high energy, party-loving younger crowd. They offer great family vacations, honeymoon packages and swinging singles cruises. Royal Caribbean, Princess and Disney cruise lines are great choices for families with young children while Crystal Cruises puts together theme cruises and family cruise get-togethers.

Pick a Ship or a Cruise
Once you have decided on a destination and a cruise line, check into the cruises and ships available. Each ship on a cruise line offers different amenities, so it is important that you know which ship, or at least which class ship, that you want to sail on. You can find all of the information you need on the cruise line’s website. Once you have got all of the details organized, you can start shopping for the best price for your cruise.

Find the Best Prices for Your Cruise Vacation
Start with the web site of the cruise line that you have chosen to get a base price for the vacation that you want. From there, make the rounds of travel discount web sites to see if you can score a better deal anywhere else. Sometimes the deal is not with the price alone, you may find free cabin upgrades or on board credits that you can use toward purchasing extras.

Choose Your Cabin
Another detail to consider when booking your cruise vacation is the cabin location and style. These options can make a difference of several hundred dollars in the overall price of your vacation. A small cabin would be less expensive, but if you like to spend time in your room, you may be happier to spend the extra money to get a larger room where you can relax. In addition, keep in mind that certain locations are kinder to those who do not deal well with motion. If you get seasick, opt for a room near the middle of the ship on a higher deck, where you will feel the boat rocking less.

Book Your Cruise Following the Directions
Once you have found the best deal on your cruise, follow the directions to book your cruise. Most travel websites have come a very long way in user friendliness. These days it is just a matter of filling in details in the forms and clicking next until you get to the end. You will need to use a credit card to make your deposit, and a representative of the cruise line may contact you to confirm details and finalize your reservations.

Confirm your Booking and Register for Your Cruise
After you have filled out all of your details and booked your cruise, you will receive a confirmation email with all of the details of your upcoming vacation. The email will also contain a link for you to follow to register for your cruise. The link usually leads to pages of tips and instructions to help you prepare for your trip, and a link to a printable itinerary and boarding passes. You will be able to print out your boarding passes, luggage tags, itinerary and all other necessary paperwork so that you can bring it with you on the day your cruise sails. If you have all of your paperwork printed out and ready, you will get through check-in and registration more quickly.

These days, booking a cruise vacation online is easier than ever, and could save you quite a bit of money over booking through a travel agent. If you have never booked a cruise online before, it is easy to follow the simple directions above to find your best cruise vacation deals and book your own cruise online.

Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer who writes about vacationing, often discussing a specific kind trip such as cruise vacations.

Romania Travel Guide: Towards Your Independence

Author: Peter Eben
Source: articledashboard.com

Nothing other than a good Travel guide can make your journey successful. And when it is to visit a country so vast in size, tradition and attractions, it becomes essential to possess a good knowledge about the destination. A travel guide does serve this purpose. A country like Romania is always on the top of the list of visitors. Romania being so vast in dimensions and number of attractions requires you as a visitor to have a good travel guide. Numerous worth visiting spots in terms of archeological assets, entertainment houses and fabulous nightlife and shopping amenities in Romania demands you of something that can answer you the questions: where to go; what to do and what to see.

A well described travel guide helps in defining your itinerary before you start for the destination. Undoubtedly, Romania can be enjoyed and well experienced only if there is someone or something to keep you informed about the place beforehand. Our Romania Travel Guide is an attempt in the same direction to guide you properly when touring Romania. Romania Travel Guide proves to be an excellent tool in successfully completing the tour of this country. The travel guide contains all facts and figures which are related to places, routes, transportations, culture, tradition and many more. Magnificent stuff inside the small manual simplifies all the steps that seem to be complicated in the beginning.

You must consult the travel guide before you start for a big country with so vast attractions and amenities like Romania. I am sure you will find it very useful. Referring to Romania travel guide solves many problems and makes you an independent traveler amongst the flocks.

Travel Tips For Planes, Trains And Automobiles

Author: Janice Novak
Source: isnare.com

Whether you travel by plane, train, or automobile, sitting in confined spaces for long periods can cause a number of problems – considerable pressure on joints, crimped circulation, increased risk of blood clots, stiff, cramped muscles, increased fatigue, back and neck pain and knee discomfort.

Travel tips for planes and trains:

Good posture and proper body mechanics are the key to prevention of back, neck, and joint discomfort when traveling. Try these:

? Make frequent posture changes: get up every forty-five minutes or so to walk or stand.

? Adjust the seat as best you can to an upright position.

? Slide your bottom back, until it touches the back of the seat.

? If there’s a big space between your lower back and the chair seat, use a lumbar pillow or rolled sweater and place it behind your back.

? Use a traveler’s pillow to decrease neck strain when snoozing.

? If your feet don’t touch the floor, place a backpack or carry-on on the floor to rest your feet on.

? Shift weight frequently to reduce prolonged pressure on any given point.

? Hips and knees should be at ninety-degree angles.

? Keep shoulders relaxed.

? Let forearms and elbows rest on armrests.

? If armrests are too low or hard, use a small pillow under each forearm.

Travel Exercises:

1. Circle feet in one direction then the other.

2. Pump feet by lifting heels, keeping toes on floor.

3. Pump feet like pushing on a car accelerator.

4. Tap toes like windshield wiper blades on a car. Keep your heels on the floor and tap toes from left to right.

5. Inhale, pull oxygen all the way down to the bottom of the rib cage. Feel your chest expand. Exhale and pull your abdominals in. Hold them in to a slow count of ten. Do not hold your breath. Relax and repeat often.

6. Shrug and circle shoulders.

7. Press shoulder blades back towards spine and then down towards waist.

Travel tips for automobiles:

We all spend a lot of time coming and going in our cars. Most of the time, we’re slumped over the wheel. Good driving posture can help a driver stay comfortable and alert.

Adjust your car seat so it will help keep your body properly aligned while you drive. All these little adjustments will make a big difference in your posture and comfort.

1. Bring the back of your car seat to its straightest position. Ideally, it should incline no more than 110 degrees.

2. Sit with your bottom all the way back, so it touches the back of the backrest. Make sure rib cage is not drooping. Lift it up slightly.

3. Adjust the headrest so you can sit with the back of your head resting against it. This position puts your head directly over your spine and allows your neck muscles to relax while your drive.

4. Most of us were taught to hold the steering wheel at the ten and two o’clock position. They don’t teach that anymore in driving schools. Now they ask you to hold on at an eight o’clock and four o’clock position.

This position is safer in the event that your airbag deploys. This position is also better for your posture as it allows your arms to hang more vertically by your sides, which allows your neck muscles to relax, greatly reducing discomfort and fatigue.

5. Don’t forget to buckle up your seat belt.

Car exercises:

The following exercises can be done when you are stopped at a red light. They will help strengthen your mid and upper back as well as your abdominals.

1. Lift up your rib cage and press the back of your head against the headrest. Stay lifted that way while you drive.

2. Press the back of your shoulders into the seat as if you were trying to bring your shoulder blades closer together. Hold for ten seconds without holding your breath then relax. Repeat several times.

3. Tighten your abdominals. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, pull your belly button toward your spine and hold for ten seconds. See if you can feel the bottom of your rib cage pull in. Don’t hold your breath. Gradually build up to holding the abdominals for thirty seconds.

How Is The Ontario Tourism Industry Changing With An Increase In Senior Citizen Travel?

Author: Joseph Rudkins
Source: articledashboard.com

In the province of Ontario the travel and tourism industry is thriving. It is a 22 billion dollar a year business of tremendous importance to the province’s economy. This year, roughly 436,300 Ontario workers will be employed either directly or indirectly in the travel and tourism industry. Additionally, Statistics Canada reports that overnight travel in Canada last year reached its highest level in more than a decade. While some may be concerned about the short-term negative effect of the highflying Canadian dollar on tourist traffic coming from the States, the long-term forecast for the travel industry is bright. Much of this optimism is due in large part to Canada’s rapidly growing population of senior citizens. Over the last four years, leisure travel among Canada’s baby boomers has increased by a whopping 25 percent. This trend will continue as the population of Canadian seniors is expected to grow from 4.2 million in 2004 to 9.8 million in 2036. Due to an increasing number of senior citizens travelling, the Ontario tourism industry is making changes to help accommodate this changing market.

This trend with an increase in Canadian seniors travelling is good news indeed for Ontario’s tourism industry. Although industry studies have shown that Canadian seniors are travelling internationally in record numbers, the vast majority of trips taken by seniors are within their own home province. Seniors prefer to drive their own car and they tend to vacation for longer periods of time than the rest of the population. This is particularly beneficial to tourist operators in Ontario resort communities, like Muskoka and the Kawarthas, where the huge population base of Southern Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe is located only a few hours away by car.

Many in the tourism industry have begun to realize the significance of the seniors travel market in Ontario and have started to specifically target this segment of the population. Senior travellers are not only important to the industry because of their sheer numbers; they are important because of their discretionary buying power. Today’s seniors have both the money to spend and the time to spend it. Retired vacationers do not have to restrict their holidays to weekends and the summer months. Rather, they are able to travel off-season and during the week, times when many hospitality properties have higher vacancies and are happy to have their rooms filled with free-spending seniors.

So you may be asking yourself, “how is the Ontario tourism industry changing, due to the increase in senior citizen travel?” The answer is simple, senior friendly travel agencies, tour companies, resort properties, cruise-lines, and even small country inns have begun offering specialty services and packages that cater specifically to a senior clientele. Due to this change, and catering to a slightly different market, the tourism industry of Ontario is discovering that many senior travelers are even prepared to pay a slight premium for age-specific services.

While many businesses will continue to cater to a wide range of tourists including, those seeking romantic couple weekends, small conferences, special functions, and wedding parties, senior travellers are becoming a larger segment of the hospitality industry’s business. Because senior citizens tend to stay at hospitality properties during quieter times, off-seasons, and midweek while booking for longer periods of time, this is simply a market that many businesses cannot afford to leave out. Unlike other age groups, seniors and older guests appreciate the convenience of having their meals onsite and many indulge in on-site activities including spa services. This brings even more funds to the inn or hotel; due to this, the increase in senior travel will continue to shape the way that Ontario’s travel industry functions.

Over the next couple of decades, as the senior population itself ages, further changes will be necessary if Ontario’s tourism industry is to continue to flourish. Vacation accommodations with assisted living and seniors’ tours that cater to individuals with mobility issues may be viable marketing ideas in the years ahead.