The Impact of Ageing on the Tourism Industry: An Approach to the Senior Tourist Profile

The elderly population presents a market of particular relevance to a large number of industries for its high purchasing power, comparatively higher than younger groups. Specifically, the tourism sector is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the aging process as a result of changes in the lifestyle of the population currently, more leisure-oriented than previous generations. However, the tourist companies are facing difficulties in understanding these consumers, whose behavior is different as mentioned, from that of older people in the past. So, this paper aims to identify the main characteristics of the senior consumers for the tourism industry, through three main objectives. The first one is focused on the tendency to travel; the second one is based on the motivation, pull and push factors; and finally, the travel characteristics of Spanish seniors. Research findings showed that there are differences between travelers and non-travelers, depending on sociodemographic characteristics and previous travel experience, where the main reasons provided for not travelling included economic status and health. The literature about senior tourism is discussed in light of these findings.