Aging Population and Tourism: Socially Determined Model of Consumer Behavior in the “Senior Tourism” Segment

Abstract

In the article the urgency of revising the upper age limit of the target segment of the tourist business in the face of population aging is justified. It is proved that tourism must respond to the new demographic challenges in society, such as the aging population and active longevity, with new types and forms of tourism, and new service technologies. The paper presents the results of the survey of Russians aged “65 +”, which allow us to prove the relevance of tourist arrivals in the segment of senior tourism. The practice of domestic and foreign tourism industry businesses with “65+” consumers is reviewed. The survey has identified needs of the people of the 3rd age segment, “senior tourism”. In this paper we propose a model of consumer behavior which is based on the analysis of the specific needs of the elderly in Russia. The essential elements of the model needs will allow for personalized and focused marketing in the segment, « senior tourism».