Classic Oriental Tours managing director Trevor Lake says the mature traveller market is changing led by a maturation of interest in traditional �adventure destinations�.

�Mature travellers place great importance on comfort and while this will always hold true this market is seeking far more exotic holidays than typical cruising or European,� Mr Lake said.

�Many exotic destinations in Asia have now opened up to mature travellers as they have a sophistication and standard of comfort that was simply not available in previous years.

�This means that many destinations that just ten years ago might have been perceived as �more suitable for the young backpackers� now have great appeal for maturer travellers.�

Mr Lake says Classic Oriental Tours was one of the first companies to follow hard adventure backpacking companies like Peregrine and Intrepid into Vietnam but targeted mature travellers with an up-market product.

�Five years ago, Classic Oriental Tours introduced an up-market product to Vietnam, and people laughed at us claiming our product was too fancy and therefore too expensive,� he said.

�This product was well suited to mature travellers and now accounts for 20 per cent of Classic Oriental�s turnover making it the third largest revenue generator of our thirty destinations.

�Destinations such as China, India & Vietnam are great for mature travellers as they offer deluxe hotels, professional guides and air-conditioned transport, but they are also essentially non-commercial so mature travellers enjoy the same sights and attractions as the young backpackers.

�Accommodation standards are essentially the only reason mature travellers have been reticent about visiting great cultural sights including Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal or Iran�s Persepolis. With superior product now available to suit their needs, this market is set to grow.�

Trevor says the only thing that has kept mature travellers away from many Asian destinations was a lack of product variety.

�Classic Oriental�s product range has developed to accommodate the tastes of our client base,� he says.

�A growing number of younger travellers aged 35 to 50 are booking with us because deluxe touring is not really expensive in Asia. The five-star adventure product Classic Oriental specialises in appeals to the desire for value-for-money which knows no age boundaries.�

Classic Oriental Tours website address is www.classicoriental.com.au or please freecall 1300 302 118 for more information.

ENDS FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT REBECCA FREESTUN - PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR ON (02) 9028 5037 OR Email: rebecca.freestun@travelcorporation.com.au

N.B Photos and brochure shots are available on request (transparencies/prints or electronic copies).