As more grandparents are raising grandchildren instead of working parents, travel agency programs are also changing. Hanatour and Modetour Network have introduced the 'Skip-Gen Tour' since late last year. The Skip-Gen Tour refers to a program where grandparents and grandchildren travel together, skipping the parent generation. In Korean, it is essentially called a 'grandparent-grandchild trip.'
According to the travel industry on the 1st, Hanatour launched a sample program for the Skip-Gen Tour to Hong Kong last year and has recently expanded the program. Representative destinations include 17 areas such as Xi'an and Baekdu Mountain in China, Tokyo and Okinawa in Japan, Da Nang and Nha Trang in Vietnam, and Sydney in Australia. The same goes for Modetour Network, which started the Skip-Gen Tour in the Philippines last year and has expanded the program mainly to winter resort destinations.
The reason travel agencies are actively launching such travel programs is that the so-called 'twilight parenting,' in which grandparents care for their grandchildren, is rapidly increasing. Grandparents, who are not confident relying on others for childcare, are steadily increasing in number, even continuing to provide care after their grandchildren enroll in elementary school. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has been conducting annual training for grandparents who are caring for grandchildren since 2019, reflecting the growth in numbers.
The fact that the generation caring for grandchildren is primarily the baby boomers born after 1955 is also a reason for the emergence of Skip-Gen Tours. Baby boomers enjoy a different leisure life after retirement. Many of them have accumulated economic wealth and, unlike in the past, are generally in good physical shape, making them considered a generation capable of going on overseas trips.
The Skip-Gen program is characterized by being designed to accommodate both grandparents and grandchildren. The biggest feature is that it has strengthened experiential programs. In Hong Kong, participating together in a dim sum-making class and in Xi'an, making Terracotta Warrior figurines are representative examples. The degree of travel freedom has also been increased with optional tours, which is a response to the physical challenges grandparents may face while traveling.
There is also a calculation that if people with similar backgrounds create programs together, it raises satisfaction levels with travel programs due to shared experiences. While traveling in a group with various people, there can be discomfort about bringing young children, but participating together in a Skip-Gen program can reduce such worries.
The Skip-Gen travel trend was also mentioned in 'Trend Korea 2025,' written by Professor Kim Nando of Seoul National University. The book predicts that there will be an increase in cases where members of Generation Alpha in their teens and Generation Z in their early to mid-20s travel with their grandparents, excluding their parents.
A Hanatour official noted, 'We commercialized ideas that reached the finals of a travel product competition held last year for internal staff and partner employees, and after operating the program, the response was positive.' They added, 'Although the price is about 30-50% higher than other travel programs, there seems to be a clear demand for this type of travel.'
A Modetour Network official stated, 'The reservation rate for travelers estimated to be on Skip-Gen tours for January and February increased by 230% compared to the same period last year.' They predicted, 'Demand for travel where active senior grandparents with economic means travel with their grandchildren or where three generations travel together is expected to further increase.'