Analysing the tourism activity of seniors by applying the method of participant observation

Abstract

Abstract. Issues concerning seniors' participation in tourism have been of increasing interest to many researchers. This results from their dynamic growth in the world's most developed societies which, together with cultural changes, contributes to greater participation in various forms of tourism. So far, this phenomenon has been examined by applying quantitative methods, surveys being the most common. Some researchers state that qualitative methods may also be of great use in the analysis of tourist behaviour. Therefore, this article aims at presenting the methodological conditions of participant observation as a qualitative method for analysing such behaviour. Its use is exemplified by research findings on Polish seniors conducted among participants of package tours to various European countries. It presents observations concerning their behaviour in both time and space. Special attention was paid to seniors' motives and the forms of tourism those motives led to.

Population Aging and Household Tourism Consumption—An Empirical Study Based on China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) Data

“…The first type of literature studied the characteristics of tourism consumption behavior of the elderly from the perspective of consumer behavior, and provided references for the marketing and management of destinations and tourism companies. Specifically, these studies include the analysis of travel motivation of the elderly [21][22][23], travel methods for the elderly [24][25][26], and travel restrictions of the elderly [27][28][29]. The second type of literature examined the effects of age and birth cohort on tourism consumption behavior from a household life-cycle perspective.…”