Tourism and Leisure Behaviour in an Ageing World

Older adults are a section of the population with the money and the time to invest heavily in leisure and tourism activities, but they bring their own unique challenges to the industry. Tourism operators, marketers and leisure service providers therefore need to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the particular characteristics, special needs and requirements of the senior market. This book, based on Ian Patterson's previously published Growing Older, provides an overview of the latest research concerning tourist behaviour and leisure needs of baby boomers, seniors, and older adults. With an increasingly ageing population, industry interest has intensified since the first edition and there has been a corresponding explosion in related research activity. Covering trends in the market place that are attracting the older market, this new edition is fully updated throughout, with new case studies of tourism and leisure organizations successfully catering to older needs. It also discusses and reviews such growing areas as independent travel, the leisure experience, cultural and heritage tourism, cruises and health and wellness tourism. An invaluable resource for researchers and students interested in senior leisure and travel, this book can also be applied by professionals to improve their product offerings.