Boomers and matures (ages 60+) rely on various sources of travel information - e.g., TV, travel agents, radio, outdoor ads, print and the internet - but they rely most on word-of-mouth recommendations, according to a survey of 30,000 consumers age 42+ by Focalyst, a joint venture of AARP Services and Kantar, writes MarketingCharts (via MediaBuyerPlanner).

Recommendations from friends and family were cited by 96 percent of boomers and 88 percent of matures as the most-used source for travel information. They were also cited as the most valued by 57 percent of boomers and 44 percent of matures.

The study also found that when it comes to airlines, hotels, motels and cruise lines, boomers and matures display very little brand loyalty, with only 10 percent using the same company all the time.

Consumers with $75,000 or more in household income are particularly strong influencers within these two segments:

• More affluents say "people tend to come to me for travel advice": 28.3 percent, versus 22 percent of those 42+ overall, according to MediaPost.
• Affluents are also dominant in terms of sheer numbers, totaling 32 million, or nearly 40 percent, of the total 81 million 42+ population.
• Affluents travel more (averaging 3.9 domestic trips in the previous year and 1.5 international trips in the previous three years, compared with 2.9 and 1.0, respectively for those 42+ overall).
• Affluents on average spend $289 per day while traveling (versus $233)
• Affluents as a segment expects to spend $66 billion on travel in the next 12 months - or 52 percent of the $126 billion for those 42+ overall).

MarketingCharts offers some more data on the travel propensities of boomers.