Includes bibliographical references

Editorial: advances in senior tourism research -- Enhancing the quality of life of senior tourists: a theoretical perspective -- Tourism preferences of seniors and their impact on healthy ageing -- Disentangling customer delight: a needs-based analysis of senior tourists in hotels -- It's time to make a travel plan: senior tourists' concerns in planning a leisure journey to the Azores -- Travel motivations and constraints of Portuguese retirees -- Senior tourists' motivations for visiting cultural destinations: a cluster approach -- Motivations of senior tourists: the case of the Azores Islands, Portugal -- Passengers' behavioural intentions towards cruise port of call: evidence from senior tourists -- Improving senior tourism in the Mar Menor: an entrepreneurial viewpoint.

[Article Title: Editorial: advances in senior tourism research/ José António C. Santos and Margarida Custódio Santos, p. 531-536]

Abstract: This editorial sought to highlight the relevance and potential of the senior tourism market; discuss shortcomings related to current aged-based segmentation approaches; and highlight the contributions made by each of the nine papers of this Special Issue on Senior Tourism. This editorial updated relevant data related to the senior tourism market, emphasizing todays characteristics of this segment. It points also directions for future research and concludes that this special issue makes a significant contribution to senior tourism research.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999751

[Article Title: Enhancing the quality of life of senior tourists: a theoretical perspective/ Hyelin (Lina) Kim, M. Joseph Sirgy, Muzaffer Uysal and Sung-Eun Kim, p. 537-552]

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to develop a theoretical perspective to better understand senior tourist behaviour. The perspective is guided by concepts from research on senior tourism, goal theory of leisure travel satisfaction, and socio-emotional selectivity theory. It examines four central principles: (1) selecting leisure travel goals that have high levels of positive valence, (2) selecting leisure travel goals that are very likely to be attained, (3) engaging in actions that would implement leisure travel goals, and (4) engaging in actions that would allow tourists to experience goal attainment. We describe these theoretical principles and sub-principles in relation to senior tourists to build a research agenda to encourage future research.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999752

[Article Title: Tourism preferences of seniors and their impact on healthy ageing lan Patterson, Adela Balderas-Cejudo and Shane Pegg, p. 553-564]

Abstract: Our world is growing older at its fastest rate in history. This explosion in the ageing population has become increasingly attractive to the global tourism industry. Little attention has been paid to the impact of travel experiences on the health of senior tourists. This study explores the travel preferences of seniors and the health benefits that tourism can play. This study used a qualitative methodology interviewing 20 senior adults living in the UK aged between 55 and 80 years. The results identified two major themes relating to preferences in regard to time and travelling companions, and travelling for health purposes. Travel was found to have a positive influence on seniors and helped to contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999753

[Article Title: Disentangling customer delight: a needs-based analysis of senior tourists in hotels/ Vania Vigolo, Angelo Bonfanti and Olga Rivera-Hernaez, p. 565-578]

Abstract: In today’s competitive environment, customer delight plays a crucial role in enhancing customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. This paper provides a needs-based analysis of customer delight in hotels among senior tourists, who represent an increasingly important target for the hospitality industry. A total of 38 senior tourists were interviewed. Data were collected utilizing the critical incident technique and analysed through text mining analysis. Four main dimensions of customer delight emerged from the study that represent the fulfilment of different needs: learning, authenticity, exclusivity, and sharing. These findings theoretically contribute to the understanding of guest delight from a senior tourist’s perspective and can help hotel managers to design delightful customer experiences.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999754

[Article Title: It's time to make a travel plan: senior tourists' concerns in planning a leisure journey to the Azores/ Ana Moniz, Osvaldo Silva, Teresa Medeiros and Sheila Furtado, p. 579-590]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to research the main travel-related concerns that senior tourists face when planning a leisure trip. The study comprises 470 tourists, aged 55 or over, who visited the Azores and aims to determine the importance attributed to travel-related concerns and to investigate whether there is an association between socio-demographic characteristics, physical limitations, perceived economic performance, and social status and these concerns. It also intends to identify distinct market segments according to these variables. A quantitative approach allows concluding that senior tourists attach higher importance to the food supply, comfortable accommodation, and climate. Senior tourists are not a uniform market: three clusters were found, which have implications in product planning and development.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999755

[Article Title: Travel motivations and constraints of Portuguese retirees/ Sandra Filipe, Belem Barbosa and Claudia Amaral Santos, p. 591-603]

Abstract: Retirees have been growing in importance as a consumer segment targeted by the tourism industry, namely because they can minimize the typical seasonality of tourism and increase its sustainability. This study aims to contribute to a more in-depth knowledge of retirees’ behaviour and has two objectives: (i) describe tourist behaviour of seniors prior to and after retirement; (ii) identify and analyse retired consumers’ current motivations and constraints towards tourism. Qualitative research was conducted comprising interviews with 40 Portuguese retirees. The results indicate a diversity of experiences regarding tourism activities both before and after retirement, evidencing that past experience stands out as a determinant of retirees’ tourism behaviour. Moreover, three distinct segments of tourists emerge: the experts, the new tourists, and the non-tourists.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999756

[Article Title: Senior tourists' motivations for visiting cultural destinations: a cluster approach/ Artur Parreira, Maria Helena Pestana, José Antonio C. Santos and Manuel A. Fernández-Gámez, p. 604-616]

Abstract: This study sought to contribute to the existing knowledge of consumer psychology regarding senior tourism in cultural destinations by improving the existing understanding of seniors’ motivations and related psychological processes. The research objectives were to outline a model of senior tourists’ push and pull motivations, which includes their emotions and satisfaction in cultural destinations; to understand the selection process of tourist attractions and activities in these destinations; and to identify clusters of seniors based on their emotions and level of satisfaction during visits. A theoretical model was created to analyse motivations and travel factors. The data collected facilitated the identification of four senior tourist clusters based on sociodemographic and psychographic differences. Various theoretical and managerial implications are presented.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999757

[Article Title: Motivations of senior tourists: the case of the Azores Islands, Portugal/ Osvaldo Silva, Teresa Medeiros, Virgílio Vieira and Sheila Furtado, p. 617-627]

Abstract: Senior tourism is increasingly expanding. This quantitative and exploratory study aims to understand the motivations that drive elderly travellers to visit the Azores. The Senior Tourists Motivation Scale (STMS) was applied to 470 participants. Collected data were submitted to nonparametric tests. The results showed that: i) STMS items’ scores differ according to the type of tourist (national or foreign); ii) scores obtained in the three factors of the STMS differ between the two types of tourists, different age groups and levels of income perception. These findings may contribute in the future to the identification of market niches so that decision-makers can develop activities that suit these tourists’ needs and desires.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999758

[Article Title: Passengers' behavioural intentions towards cruise port of call: evidence from senior tourists/ Lidia López-Marfil, Manuel A. Fernández-Gámez, Juan A. Campos-Soria and David Alaminos, p. 628-642]

Abstract: Previous literature has focused on identifying the behavioural intentions of the cruise passengers in the ports of call. Nevertheless, there is no prior experience in the senior passenger segment. The present study tries to verify hypotheses about the effects of the cruise passenger’s age regarding the intention to revisit and the intention of recommending the port of call. This study used a sample of 451 tourists who visited Malaga (Spain) on cruise stops during 2018–2019. The investigation applied both PLS-SEM algorithm and regression techniques. The results show that the senior segment has singular intentions to revisit and recommend the port of call and that these intentions have different antecedents compared to other segments

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999759

[Article Title: Improving senior tourism in the Mar Menor: an entrepreneurial viewpoint/ Ricardo Teruel-Sanchez, Antonio Juan Briones Peñalver, Juan Andres Bernal-Conesa and Carmen de Nieves-Nieto, p. 643-657]

Abstract: The senior tourism segment has acquired vital importance in the tourism industry and is characterized by longer stays, less seasonality and greater spending than other segments. There are, therefore, unexploited business opportunities with this kind of visitor. The purpose of this paper is to identify the link between the business opportunities within the framework of senior tourism and several factors linked to the hotel and catering and services industry. This research focuses on the Region of Murcia on the Spanish Mediterranean coast and analyses the factors that affect greater entrepreneurship level in this region. The results confirm that the environment, social and commercial networks and sustainability have significant effects on the recognition of opportunities.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1999760