New breed of traveller: aunties with time and money
PANKs are Professional Aunts, No Kids, and, according to the World Travel Mart Global Trends Report, this is a "key emerging demographic".
The number of PANKs in the United States alone is estimated at 23 million; they spend some $9 billion per year on children. (At this stage, there is no robust research on the trend in here.)
"As women marry later, they're also having kids later or not at all," says Melanie Notkin, CEO of the website Savvy Auntie.
"They're spending a great deal of time earning income. That income gives them the option to indulge nieces and nephews, taking them on cultural adventures."