Older, vaccinated Americans drive new travel bookings
Older Americans who are fully vaccinated are starting to travel again after postponing international trips for more than a year.
Senior citizens who now feel safe boarding flights are even driving a surge in new travel bookings, according to travel agencies.
Travel advisor Hillel Spinner said that between February and March, he's seen a 110% increase in bookings from older clients.
"The reason for that is they've been vaccinated, they feel safe to travel again. The world is their oyster. They're like where can I go now?" he told CBS News correspondent Wendy Gillette.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Gale and Bob Grossman were frequent travelers, visiting places like Italy and Brazil, and taking annual trips to Ireland.
After spending more than a year at home, the senior couple is now vaccinated and anxious to start traveling abroad again.
"As soon as Europe opens up, we're gone," Gale Grossman said.
A number of Americans even cited the prospect of travel as their main reason for getting vaccinated, according to a recent survey from the American Society of Travel Advisors.
Jim Moses, president and CEO of Road Scholar, which provides educational travel tours for older adults, said enrollment in the trips his company leads is surging.
"It's been unbelievable. We've seen about a 50% increase in the numbers of people who are enrolling in programs. They're so excited," he said.
