How do European seniors perceive and implement the postulates of sustainable tourism?

Abstract

Research background: Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy, thus the implementation of sustainable solutions in tourism ought to be a worldwide adopted requirement. Tourists should seek to pursue sustainable development goals during their travels. Given the aging population, it is important to encourage seniors to practice sustainable tourism and tailor offerings to their needs. Purpose of the article: Our study aims to identify the readiness of seniors within the European Union to travel in line with the sustainable development goals. Methods: Representative data from Flash Eurobarometer 499 were used in the study presented in the article. Correspondence analysis, which is a multidimensional statistical method that facilitates the search for relationships between multiple characteristics of respondents, was used in the course of our study. Findings & value added: We conclude that the offer of future tourist solutions must be diverse, because the perception of tourism is very different among seniors with varying ages, genders, levels of education, and places of residence. Only small groups of seniors are not ready to adopt sustainable tourism, but many European tourists intend to continue using sustainable solutions and introduce new ones into their tourism. The greatest determination to apply sustainable solutions was observed among German seniors, especially in the use of green transportation.