More than half of consumers aged 60 and older, sought information online about hotels for leisure or business, and 28.8% purchased them.

According to research in Germany from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online Forschung’s (AGOF)“Internet Facts 2012-06,” as reported here in eMarketer, tourism represented the most popular research category, and also the second most popular purchase category. Seeking information about hotels was the third most popular activity for internet users ages 50 to 59, and it was actually the second most popular purchase category—30.7% of internet users in this age group made hotel bookings online.

The research concludes that as they get older, internet users are seeing travel as one of the most desirable online purchase items.

Travel marketers can feel confident targeting these consumers for planned vacations because it’s one of the main reasons they are going online to shop.