Boomer Schooner: Tapping the Niche Cruise Market

Published July 3, 2013 | By Clark Norton

The Isaac H. Evans sails the Maine coast. Photo from Maine Windjammer Association

Brenda Thomas, the hard-working but fun-loving captain of the historic Maine Windjammer Isaac H. Evans, may or may not think of herself as a travel marketer, but she’s a good one.

During the Evans’ four-month annual summer season, when it plies the Maine coast and scenic Penobscot Bay — anchoring in secluded coves, visiting small islands and offering views of lighthouses and marine life — Thomas offers a number of specialty cruises that seem tailor-made for baby boomers.

Chocolate Lovers Cruise? Check.

Knitting Cruise? Check.

Lighthouse cruise? Check.

Perseid Meteor Shower cruise? Check.

Puffin Cruise? Check.

“Old Salts” cruise? Well, maybe “Older Than We Once Were Salts” cruise. Check.

Music Cruise With Hank Cramer? I have no idea who Hank Cramer is, but what the heck…check.

Lobster Festival? Double check.

Even Thomas’ swashbuckling Pirate Adventure cruises are a big hit with grandparent boomers traveling with their grandkids. (See my previous post on taking the grandkids here.)

And while Thomas has made the Evans a family-friendly ship — everybody loves chocolate, after all — baby boomers as a group are especially drawn to specialty travel. Most have been around the block — and often the world — a few times, and are seeking something different, even unique.

Thomas and the Evans provide just that. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when putting together a travel package of any kind for — or marketing a destination to — baby boomers.

And yes, I just looked up Hank Cramer. He’s a folksinger from the Pacific Northwest who loves to sing songs of the sea, it turns out, and, by all appearances, he’s of baby boomer age.

Find your niche like Thomas has done, and find boomers flocking to your door — or your gangplank.

Don’t forget to download my free report, “How to Ride the Coming Wave of Boomers,” available here. It’s all about the best ways to market travel to baby boomers — the biggest-spending group of travelers the world has ever seen. It’s also the easiest way to subscribe to my blog, so you won’t miss a posting. Thanks!