Tourist experience and well-being of Chinese elderly tourists through intergenerational interaction with their adult children

Abstract

Studies on senior travel have focused on older adults' travel motivations, experiences, and well-being separately; less attention has been paid to how intergenerational interactions define these tourists' experiences and well-being. This study explored how intergenerational interactions with adult children shape the elderly's travel experience and well-being. In-depth interviews with elderly tourists revealed that their interactions with adult children occur when they travel together and not, and, in the pre-travel, and in-transit travel, and post-travel. Results further showed that adult children's acknowledgement (disconfirmation) of elderly tourists' experience plays an important role in the supportive (conflicting) interactions and subsequently enhanced (jeopardized) the elderly's well-being. Thus, a close investigation of the impact of intergenerational interaction on the travel experience and well-being of seniors enables tourism industry to make appropriate changes to its strategies and tourism products to enhance intergenerational interaction, thereby contributing to the growth of the silver-haired tourism market and destination performance.