TOURIST ACTIVITY OF OLDER INHABITANTS OF THE WARMIAN-MAZURIAN VOIVODESHIP

Abstract

Purpose. Describing tourist behavior of people over the age of 60 = living in the countryside and cities. An attempt to indicate differences in behaviour of elderly tourists according to their place of residence. Method. The research included 380 individuals (305 women and 75 men) over the age of 60. The authors used a diagnostic survey and an anonymous questionnaire. The results were drawn up with STATISTICA v.12 using a descriptive statistic module (N and %) and the statistical hypothesis test for two indices with the significance of  = 0.05. Findings. The majority of the tested senior citizens are active tourists. They travel more than when they were younger, and a considerable group claims to have started travelling when retired. Seniors have time and money which they willingly spend on tourism, even at the expense of services or products. However, the research showed that place of residence (countryside or a city) is a factor that has a substantial influence on the participation of elderly people in tourism, their reasons for travelling, manners of travel organization and realization, choice of transport and accommodation. Senior citizens living in the countryside definitely do not opt for tourism as often as the city-dwellers. Research and conclusion limitations. The difficulty in reaching elderly people, especially those living in the countryside and those who are not members of any organizations for seniors was the limitation of the research. What is more, the research was only conducted in one Polish Voivodeship. Practical implications. The collected data may be useful for organizers of tourist events directed towards seniors and social organizations working for the elderly. Originality. The available literature on the subject does not include data connected with tourist activity of the elderly living in the countryside. Type of paper. The article presents the results of empirical research.