The Effects of Senior Tourists’ Characteristics on Travel Motivation

Abstract

Despite the importance of the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics of senior tourists and travel motivation, research about senior consumer behavior intentions remains scarce. The purpose of this re-search is to outline the travel motivations of senior tourists and to investigate which sociodemographic characteristics are important in explaining these motivations. With 537 valid surveys from senior tourists visiting the Azores islands, a three-factor solution was found from 17 travel motivation attributes. The results show that “Well-being and self-knowledge” depends on nationality, perception of income and perception of health status; “Knowledge about destination and personal learning” depends on nationality and age group; and “Sociability and fun” depends on age group.