The new Imserso itinerary marks a strategic shift in how senior travel is planned and delivered in Spain. The state is steering the program to reward competition that expands targets and, above all, elevates service quality. For almost four decades, Imserso trips have promoted active and healthy living among the elderly, countering seasonal tourism trends by making travel accessible to a broader audience. The government now signals a modernization of the annual tender, with an estimated total value around €300 million for about 900,000 seats distributed across three groups of excursions: mainland coast, island coast, and inland tourism, while keeping the core structure intact. Previously, price was the main determinant; the focus is shifting toward higher quality. By higher quality, the plan envisions more single rooms (rising from 2% of bids to 10%), superior hotel categories, improved accessibility, more varied and healthier dining options, faster and more convenient transport, and a more robust municipal supply to diversify the overall offering.
The program’s expansion goes beyond accommodations. The new framework anticipates over 70,000 additional experiential destinations, with the expectation that these will account for about a quarter of total offerings, representing roughly 16% of the current supply. The catalog will cover every province and its capitals, expanding from 34 to a planned 52 if completed. Nature tourism introduces 19 new routes to places like Sierra Nevada in Granada, Sierra de las Nieves in Malaga, and the Ríos Lobos Canyon Natural Park in Castilla y León. Additionally, ten cultural circuits with thematically marked routes—such as literary, musical itineraries, or theater festivals—will be introduced as part of this broader vision.
Significant changes also streamline enrollment. Retirees will be able to join the program after winning a retirement category, removing the previous constraint that required travelers to wait for the next cycle if retirement occurred later. An electronic coupon will replace the old paper system, with stamps collected at the hotel becoming a thing of the past.
The tender is set to be annual for the near term, covering the 2022-2023 season with a total budget of €300 million, aligned with historical levels, though authorities noted a 14% increase from the prior year. A portion of this budget is funded by Imserso (roughly 23%, corresponding to a public budget near €70,000 million) and the remainder is financed by travelers. While precise unit prices have yet to be confirmed, ministries indicate some price uptick is probable for this year, though increases should not exceed the pension adjustments approved for the year. The government’s aim is to finalize the new terms rapidly and present them to the Council of Ministers for approval, paving the way for the next season and allowing for an extension of up to two additional lessons. The overall contract is projected to reach around €900 million, with a bidding window of about one and a half months. The government has set September as the deadline to finalize the tender, enabling travel start in October as usual. (Source: official briefings and ministry communications)
Both the advisory bodies and the Institute for the Elderly have aligned on the changes, supported by ongoing consultations with leading tourism and hospitality employers. The program has long needed modernization to increase competitiveness, as past tenders often favored the same firms through temporary partnerships spanning different companies in the tourism value chain. The involvement of major players such as Iberia, Alsa, and IAG has been noted in public discussions and compliance reports from the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC). The government argues that the complex, labor-intensive nature of the program has contributed to stable competition patterns, and ongoing reforms aim to broaden participation without compromising service standards. (Attribution: CNMC reports and Ministry briefings).