Travel motivations, behavior and requirements of European senior tourists to Thailand

The purposes of this research were to examine the travel motivations and travel behavior of European senior tourists in Thailand, and to analyze the importance and satisfaction of their travel requirements regarding accommodation, accessibility, attractions, amenities and public services. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 430 European senior tourists aged over 55 years traveling in Thailand. Thirty-seven in-depth interviews were also conducted to gain the perspectives of many stakeholders from both public and private sectors. Besides quantitative and qualitative analysis, Importance-Performance Analysis was conducted. Research findings showed that the principal travel motivations of sampled senior European tourists were rest and relaxation. The majority of respondents had traveled to Thailand for the first time and intended to stay in Thailand for 15 days or more for leisure and sightseeing activities. Three major requirements of European senior tourists were safety of the destination, location of accommodation, and presence of natural attractions. The result of this research suggests potential policies and measures for public and private sector development.