UNDERSTANDING THE SENIOR
TRAVEL MARKET: A REVIEW
Katija Vojvodić
University of Dubrovnik
Department of Economics and Business Economics
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
CONTENTS
Introduction
Seniors’ travel motivations
Seniors’ travel preferences
Senior travellers and special interest tourism
Conclusion
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
INTRODUCTION
 population ageing
 growing tourism market
 senior traveller - a person aged 55 and over
 baby boomers, mature-aged travellers, older travellers, older
adults, older tourists, grey nomads
 market size, potential for growth, better overall health,
increasing purchasing power and time flexibility after retirement
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
SENIORS’ TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS
 escape from daily routines, stimulation of senses, and a chance
for social interaction (Harssel & Theobald, 1995)
 enthusiastic travellers, cultural explorers, escapists and spiritual
travellers (Ward, 2014)
 nostalgics, friendlies, learners, escapists, thinkers, statusseekers, and physicals (Cleaver et al., 1999)
 “cultural and historical seekers” and “holiday and leisure
seekers” (Sangpikul, 2008)
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
SENIORS’ TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS
 “novelty and knowledge-seeking” and “cultural and historical
attractions” (Sangpikul, 2008)
 extraordinary opportunities to meet new people, develop new
relationships, escape from the existing relationships, different
social norms, hierarchies, and prohibitions (Ryu et al., 2014)
 self-perceived age - the young at heart and the not so young at
heart (Muller & O’Cass, 2011)
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
SENIORS’ TRAVEL PREFERENCES
 ageing influences travel-related behaviour changes
 preferences for package tours and travel agents
 emphasis on a higher level of comfort and less risk
 a desire for more flexible and individualised travel packages
(Patterson and Pegg, 2011)
 information sources – word-of-mouth and personal experiences
 the Internet will become the principle means for seniors to
research, plan and book holidays
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
SENIORS’ TRAVEL PREFERENCES
 the importance of hotel attributes:
→“value for money”; service staff attitude and behaviour;
mobility limitations (Callan & Bowman, 2000)
→“value for money”; availability of organised entertainment
in the hotel (Meltem & Tahir, 2014)
→senior-friendly facilities (Chen et al., 2014)
 prolonged stays and a higher propensity for long distance travel
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
SENIOR TRAVELLERS AND SPECIAL
INTEREST TOURISM
 active travellers taking care of their physical and mental health
 more physically challenging, adrenalin-driven activities and soft
adventure activities
 older adults constitute a distinctive ecotourist market
 educational travel and opportunities for self-development
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
CONCLUSIONS
 senior travellers are shown not to be a uniform market
 more research to better identify the motives of senior travellers
 need for additional cross-culture studies in senior leisure travel
 travel marketers developing special interest package tours need
to consider carefully demand characteristics in order to better
target and better satisfy the senior travel market
ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
CONCLUSIONS
 creating an appropriate travel environment for senior travellers –
an imperative goal for the tourism and hospitality industry
 understanding senior consumers in the tourism industry is crucial
for both policy makers and industry practitioners in order to
improve tourism products according to their needs and to
capture this market segment more effectively
Thank you for your attention!
Katija Vojvodić
University of Dubrovnik
Department of Economics and Business Economics
[email protected]