Report on the results of the Questionnaire for foreign seniors on tourism. What are the needs of foreign senior tourists in TOURAGE regions?

Transcription

1 Report on the results of the Questionnaire for foreign seniors on tourism What are the needs of foreign senior tourists in TOURAGE regions? December 2014

2 This brochure was produced by TOURAGE in partnership of INTERREG IVC program and the European Union. It does not necessarily represent the official views of the European Union. Edited by Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Regional Development and Environmental Management Agency/Észak-Alföld Regional Development Agency Nonprofit ltd. Layout by Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia 2

3 Content 1. Introduction - About the TOURAGE project TOURAGE Methodology Data Collection Data Analysis of the Foreign Senior Questionnaire Background Information Travel Patterns of Seniors Motivation and Needs Main findings...39 Annex

4 1. Introduction - About the TOURAGE project Overview The project has grown out from the idea that although demographic change brings many challenges it can also bring opportunities to the regions. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the Europe and relatively remote regions have both a lot of unexploited and unknown development potential in this regard. The project seeks to identify good practices on developing tourism possibilities for growing segment of elderly travelers. The results gained in this collaboration will be essential instrument to communicate to the rest of Europe the means by which "The Senior Tourism Model" can be created and enhanced and also what kind of tools can be used to improve regional senior tourism policies. TOURAGE project is funded by the Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC aimed at improving the effectiveness of regional policies and instruments. The project runs from January 2012 until December Objectives The overall objective of the project is to enhance the regional economy by means of senior tourism development and to support active and healthy ageing. The project aims to enlighten the responsible personnel of regional authorities, decision-makers and politicians in the field; its challenges and benefits; its future trends and above all good practices exchanged and deployed. Activities Identifying and exchanging good practices will help to overcome the challenges connected to senior tourism ("silver tourism") and develop a clear understanding of central possibilities of silver tourism in the partner regions. Evaluating the most important challenges facing silver tourism in the partner regions. Exchange experiences on senior tourism through successful seminars, working groups and study visits. Deepening of the relations between partners and their respective regions. Developing joint methodologies and giving policy recommendations based on good practices exchanged during the project. Dissemination of the obtained project results for the benefit of releavnt tourism stakeholders at a local to European level. Increasing networking capacity and synergies within European-wide silver economy networks and projects. Finding solutions to turn population ageing into an asset and overcome structural change by new innovative means. Promote sustainable regional economy and wellbeing. 4

5 Partnership The partnership consists 11 partners from 9 European Union Member States. The TOURAGE partners are the following: Lead Partner: Regional Council of North Karelia, Finland Bourgas Regional Tourist Association, Bulgaria Region of East Macedonia & Thrace, Greece Lake Balaton Development Coordination Agency, Hungary Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Regional Development and Environmental Management Agency, Hungary West Regional Authority, Ireland Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia Association of Polish Communes of Euroregion Baltic, Poland Podkarpackie Region, Poland County Council of Granada, Spain Regional Development Agency of the Prešov Self-Governing Region, Slovakia 5

6 2. TOURAGE Methodology In order to examine the Good Practices presented by each project partner related to senior tourism, a two way approach will be adopted. Based on regional analysis conducted in the field of senior tourism; demographic change & demand and supply side activities will be implemented:- - Supply side activities: good practice collection, evaluation and selection methodology, study visits and preparation of good practice catalogue. - Demand side activities: questionnaire on senior tourism needs and study based on the questionnaires. Chart 1: Methodology of TOURAGE project Based on the results of the supply and demand side activities, in each partner region implementation plans will be developed on concrete measures to foster the Good Practice transfer and mainstreaming between the participating regions. As an additional output the Senior Tourism Model will be developed as a main output of the TOURAGE project, which could be the regional input for EU policy development activities in the field of senior tourism in the future. As part of the project s demand side activities a survey was conducted among domestic seniors and foreign tourists. In order to better understand the needs of the target group of ageing tourism, there is a necessity to develop a questionnaire for them. In order to develop comprehensive results on the needs of senior tourists, two questionnaires were created which were a: 6

7 1. Questionnaire to 55 year-old or older foreign tourists travelling into the project region. 2. Questionnaire to local retirement pensioners. With the foreign senior questionnaire, the travelling habits, motivations and needs of the seniors that are visiting the regions of TOURAGE are revealed. The results of this questionnaire can be employed in the development of regional tourism services for senior tourists in order to meet the needs of senior citizens and in the improvement of regional, national and EU level tourism policies. 7

8 3. Data Collection Based on the project methodology and previous Working Group meeting discussions, partners received a template for the foreign senior questionnaire from the Component 3 leader. The questionnaire (see Annex) was composed of 15 questions. 8 of these questions dealt with the travel barriers, motivations and needs of senior tourists in Europe, 2 were region specific questions to bring local added value for the partners and 5 questions on general characteristics of seniors answering to the questionnaire. Questionnaire was targeted to the 55 year-old or older foreign tourists. Based on the template, different language versions of the questionnaires were made for the incoming senior tourists, and specific cover letters were attached on behalf of the representatives of the partner organisations. Project partners used different methods to meet with foreign seniors, but mostly they collaborated with hotels or tourism information points to collect the questionnaires. Questionnaires were collected between Summer 2013 and Winter 2014 in the TOURAGE partner regions. The target number was 100 completed questionnaires per partner. As a result 1,029 questionnaires were filled, but only 963 were analyzed, because some respondents were under the age of 55 or did not reveal their age. The regional average of completed questionnaires was 86, but as the Baltic Euroregion partner involved two regions the average number of questionnaires per partner amounted to 94 (just below the decided target number). Please see the table below for a breakdown on the number of questionnaires completed and analyzed by each partner region: Table 1: Number of Filled Questionnaires in TOURAGE Regions Region Country 8 Number of filled questionnaires Number of questionnaires included in the analysis North Karelia Finland Vidzeme Latvia Baltic Euroregion - Pomorskie Poland Baltic Euroregion Warmia- Mazury Poland Podkarpackie Poland Presov Slovakia 9 7

9 Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Hungary Balaton Hungary Bourgas Bulgaria Granada Spain West Region of Ireland Ireland East Macedonia and Thrace Greece TOTAL There was a varied response rate in different types of questions within the questionnaire. The following table shows the response rate for each of the questions: Table 2: Response Rate for Questions of Analyzed Questionnaires No. of No. of Response Question Respondents Rate % % % % % % % % % % % % % * This table illustrates the response rate for non-text datas only 9

10 4. Data Analysis of the Foreign Senior Questionnaire The data analysis of questionnaires collected in TOURAGE regions was following these steps: each partners received code lists for questionnaire, based on them, the answers were coded and sent for Component 3 leader for analysis. This common template for encoding received answers could provide the opportunity to analyse the data on project level. Received coded tables were checked individually, whether they were correctly recorded. After the revision of datas, regional answers were merged into a single data analysis table. This was the basis of data analysis on project level, which included in some cases some regional and nationality based comparative analyses as well, to have a better understanding of project level data. Questions are grouped into 3 groups: background information, travel patterns, travel barriers and motivations & needs. The analysis follows the structure of the questionnaire. The analysis summarizes the most important tourism patterns of foreign seniors in TOURAGE partner regions. It is the basis for further evaluation of good practices collected in the project, and the results help to understand the development needs in European regions to better exploit opportunities in senior tourism. The questionnaire included also questions relating to regional attractions. These region specific questions are not analyzed in this report. However, the answers gave important information to partner regions about their attractions and their suitability to senior tourists Background Information A total of five questions from the questionnaire were focusing on some general characteristics of seniors answering to the questionnaire (age, gender, marital status and income level). The following chart shows the number of respondents by their nationality. It contains the most common countries of residence of the respondents. 10

11 Graph 1: Nationality of Respondents TOP12 (Question 13, N=946) Besides the largest group of respondents (TOP12), there were 26 further countries represented in the survey (in total 55+ persons from 38 countries): - other European countries: o EU countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain); o non-eu members (Belarus, Croatia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey); - non-european respondents of the survey: o Asia: China, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore; o America: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Peru. Question 11. Gender Male Female In gender terms, the majority of seniors answering the questionnaire were women (55% female, 45% male) 1. Although the difference is not significant this reflects the demographic fact that older aged women hold the majority over older aged men in the society. But this may also signal that they are more interested in international travel. This higher representation of women also has an effect on the results of the questionnaires, as the motivations and needs of seniors illustrate slightly more women s interests than those of men. 1 Three respondents did not check either male or female when asked about their gender. 11

12 Graph 2: Gender Ratio of Respondents (Question 11, N=960) Question 12. How old are you? years old The average age of seniors answering the questionnaire was 64.9 years (963 answers). 73,5 percent of the respondents were under 70 years old, and 26,5 percent were between 70 and 84 years old. There was a fairly balanced response from young and older senior groups, which is indicated in the following table: Table 3: Age Groups of Respondents (Question 12, N=963) Age Group Number of Respondents Ratio of Total Respondents ,9% ,8% ,8% ,8% ,5% ,2% The answers for the questions shows a good representation of all age groups of seniors. The oldest senior answering the questionnaire was 84 years old, so this proves as well the broad age cohort of senior respondents and represents varied results on the needs of domestic senior travellers. 12

13 Graph 3: Percentage distribution of respondents by age groups Question 14. Marital status married single in a relationship widow/widower divorced A total of 947 seniors responded to this question. Most of the respondents were married (63%) or in a relationship (12%). When we are talking about tourism it is important to notice that a high proportion of this group was divorced (5%), single (7%) or a widow/er (13%). For example specific senior club activities and especially tourism group tours are targeting these seniors, who are looking for travelmates. The following table and graph show the answers received: Table 4: Marital Status of Respondents (Question 14, N=947) Marital status Number of respondents married 595 single 70 in a relationship 111 widow/widower 119 divorced 52 Graph 4: Marital Status of Respondents (Question 14, N=947) 13

14 15. How would you evaluate your income compared to the national yearly average of people aged 55 or over in your home country? Deeply under the average Under the average On average Over the average More than double of the average The following table and graph show the 887 answers received: Table 5: Income of Respondents (Question 15, N=887) Level of income Number of respondents Deeply under the 17 Under the average 99 On average 486 Over the average 248 More than double of 37 Graph 5: Income of Respondents (Question 15, N=887) A majority of seniors (55%) responding is having an average income, although it should be noted that one additional quarter is having an income over the average. Therefore the senior tourists arriving to the peripherial TOURAGE regions may have a better income level than the seniors living there, therefore, their 14

15 habits, needs and motivations may be different than the local seniors. It was the basic reason why 2 seperate surveys were delivered by the project Travel Patterns of Seniors A total of 8 questions were included in the questionnaire of local senior tourists in order to find the motivations and needs of seniors in connection with tourism. The first 5 questions are more related to the general travel patterns of the seniors, for which we are focusing on in this part of the analysis. Question 1 What has been the usual length of your holiday? 1-3 nights 4-7 nights 8-10 nights 2-3 weeks 1 month or more Have not travelled while on retirement pension A total of 961 respondents answered to this question. According to the results, 11% of respondents preferred to stay on holiday for 1-3 nights, 56% for 4-10 nights, and 33% for 2 weeks or more. Table 6: Usual Length of holiday (Question 1, N=961) 1-3 nights nights nights weeks month or more 72 15

16 Graph 6: Usual Length of Holiday (Question 1, N=961) Graph 7: Usual Length of Holiday Regional Comparison (Question 1, N=961) According to the regional comparison, foreign seniors in Granada prefer to stay on holiday for the longest because 71 % of respondents answered to stay on holiday for 2-3 weeks or more. On the other hand, 77 % of the foreign seniors in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg prefer to stay on holiday for 7 nights or less. In order to have better results on European scale how to market senior tourism in different target countries, TOP12 nationalities were further analysed (817 respondents of the total of 961 for Question 1). 16

17 Graph 8: Usual Length of Holiday Comparison by Nationality (Question 1, N=817) An index of usual length of holiday was created for the 12 nationalities, which is a balanced average of provided answers for the 5 category of length of holiday. The result of the index is the following: Table 7: Length of holiday in TOP 12 countries Rank Country Index 1 Australia 4,07 2 Belgium 3,64 3 Netherlands 3,37 4 France 3,03 5 UK 2,95 6 USA 2,93 7 Germany 2,89 8 Russia 2,83 9 Austria 2,59 10 Slovakia 2,18 11 Ukraine 2,15 12 Romania 1,91 If we compare by TOP12 nationality we have to note that there are 4 different groups of countries. Australians (because of the time consuming long-distance travel) tend to spend a holiday of 2 weeks or more. Seniors of Belgium, Netherlands and France are having a holiday of 8 to 20 days. Majority of countries spending 4 to 10 nights, while only Romania s seniors are spending less than 7 nights on holiday. 17

18 Question 2 Do you mostly travel in..? Choose 1 or more Spring Summer Autumn Winter 1596 answers from 962 respondents were received for this group of question dealing with the most usual seasons for travelling. The respondents were allowed to choose more than one option. The results show that they usually travel in summer (more than 60 % of respondents), but for this age group travelling in spring or in autumn is also quite common period (both more than 40%). Table 8: Season of Senior Tourism (Question 2, N=962) Graph 9: Season of Senior Tourism (Question 2, N=962) Spring 409 Summer 589 Autumn 429 Winter 169 There are also regional differences in prefered seasons for travelling. While in most of the regions summer is the most favoured season for travelling, but the foreigners travelling to some destinations in other seasons more frequently. Seniors prefer to go in summer to Balaton, Bourgas, North Karelia, Podkarpackie, Pomorskie, Szabolcs- Szatmár-Bereg, East Macedonia and Thrace. Spring is the high season to travel for international visitors going to West Ireland and Granada, and autumn for travellers going to Presov, Vidzeme and Wamia- Mazury. It should be also mentioned that winter is relatively popular travel season among the tourists who answered to the questionnaire in North Karelia and Granada. 18

19 Graph 10: Season of Senior Tourism Regional Comparison (Question 2, N=962) Analyzing the TOP 12 countries of origin there are some further interesting results. As there are differences in the number of questions, we analyzed the absolute numbers of answers in this case. Graph 11: Season of Senior Tourism Comparison by Nationality of TOP12 (Question 2, N=962) 19

20 It is visible from the graph, that German tourists focusing on Summer and Autumn season. UK absolutely on Summer. For US seniors Spring and Summer are the leading seasons. For Dutch and Russians summer is important. It is important to note that for Australians Autumn is a preferred season of travel. Question 3 How have you usually organized your holiday trips? Choose 1 Travel / accommodation organised individually Travel/accommodation booked through a travel agency Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked via internet Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked through a travel agency Other, name it: Most of the seniors (39% out of 935 respondents) prefer to organise their travel individually. However, 24 and 26% of respondents book travel/accommodation or package tour/all inclusive holiday through a travel agency. Table 9: Organisation of Holiday Trips (Question 3, N=935) Graph 12: Organisation of Holiday Trips (Question 3, N=935) Travel / accommodation organised individually 367 Travel/accommodation booked through a travel agency 229 Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked via internet 100 Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked through a travel agency

21 Question 4 From the following information sources, which have been the most important ones when you have made a decision about your travel plans? Choose 3 Own personal experience Relatives and family Friends Recommendations of other people Guidebooks and magazines (commercial) Travel catalogues, brochures (non-commercial) Internet Travel / tourist agencies Media (newspaper, radio, TV) Social media (Facebook, twitter, blogs etc.) Other, name it: It was possible to choose 3 options. Altogether there were 954 respondents and 2418 answers. Friends (19%) and own personal experience (19%) are the most important sources of information for making decisions on the travels of seniors. It is also important to mention that other social contacts with relatives and other people have 13-13% of share in making decisions on travels. However, media and social media is not a relevant source of information, although the internet is mentioned in 7% of the answers as a source of finding information. Table 10: The Most Important Information Sources for Decisions on Travels (Question 4, N=954) 1. Own personal experience 452 Graph 13: The Most Important Information Sources for Decisions on Travels (Question 4, N=954) 2. Relatives and family 3. Friends 4. Recommendations of other people 5. Travel / tourist agencies 6. Internet 7. Travel catalogues, brochures (noncommercial) 8. Guidebooks and magazines (commercial) 9. Media (newspaper, radio, TV) 10. Social media (Facebook, twitter, blogs etc.)

22 In order to better understand and visualize user habits we have calculated also the ratio of certain information sources used. Graph 14: The Most Important Information Sources for Decisions on Travels Ratio% (Question 4, N=954) It was also asked and some answers were collected on other possible sources of information. Some TV channels were mentioned (National Geography, History Channel), an internet tourism portal (TripAdvisor), and associations of travellers, which can have influence on decision making. There was one specific comment from a senior who owns an appartment abroad and it has a major influence on making a travel decision. 22

23 Question 5 With whom have you usually travelled? Choose 1 Spouse, partner Own child/children Grandchild/children Other relative(s) Friend(s) Alone Group travel with people you know Group travel with people you have not met before Other, name it Based on the received answers, spouse/partner (59%) is the most common travel mate. It is followed by friends with only 12%. Table 11: Travel Mates (Question 5, N=960) 1. Spouse, partner Own child/children Grandchild/grandchildre 18 n 4. Other relatives Friends Alone Group travel with people you know Group travel with people 81 you have not met before 9. Other 3 Graph 15: Travel Mates (Question 5, N=960) Based on the 3 Other answers we have to mention, that family travels could be important involving the spouse and children, grandchildren as well. Besides it is interesting to note that travelling with pets (dogs, cats) could be an important factor as well for elderly people, for whom specific services should be provided during travel and accomodation. 23

24 4.3. Motivation and Needs Question 6-8 are especially focusing on the motivations and needs of seniors and their travel barriers. As seniors are handled as a new emerging market in the tourism sector, these specifications could be useful and important when developing new destinations and services especially designed for senior citizens. Question 8. If you sometimes have decided not to travel for a holiday, which of the following barriers have been reason for not to travel? Please answer to all. Financial reasons Lack of time There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination I was concerned about safety during traveling I had health problems Transportation connections were lacking I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips Language skills Other, name it: 906 seniors responded to this question. Lack of time (48%), financial reasons (42%) and health problems (39%) are the main barriers of travel for the respondents. Besides them also concern about safety in a destination (30%), concern about safety during travelling (29%), lack of interesting supply (26%) and poor transportation connections (21%) are significant barriers of travelling. 24

25 Table 12: Barriers to Travel During Retirement Pension (Question 8, N=906) Barrier of travel Not a barrier of travel No answer Barrier of travel (%) Not a barrier of travel (%) No answer (%) Financial reasons % 50% 8% Lack of time % 44% 7% There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination I was concerned about safety during traveling % 59% 15% % 58% 12% % 61% 10% I had health problems % 53% 8% Lack of transportation connections I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips % 67% 12% % 71% 11% % 68% 14% % 75% 15% % 77% 13% Language skills % 74% 15% Other % 0% 99% What should be noted also as an important non-barrier factor is that seniors are ready to travel and make holiday trips, they have the necessary travelling documents and language skills to travel (more than 50% of the respondents considered these factors as non-barriers). 25

26 Graph 16: Barriers to Travel (Question 8, N=906) Financial reasons Lack of time There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination I was concerned about safety during traveling I had health problems Lack of transportation connections I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips Language skills Other Barrier of travel Not a barrier of travel no answer 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% It should be noted that altogether 906 seniors responded to the question. However, some respondents did not provide answers to all options listed in the question. For this reason, the number of respondents varies slightly between different barriers. For the Other option only a few respondents gave answer: some mentioned family commitments, other family problems. Out of the main nationalities responding to the survey, 3 country analysis were done: Germany (272 respondents) Table 13: Travel barriers of German respondents (Question 8, N=272) Barrier of travel Not a barrier of travel No answer Financial reasons Lack of time There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination I was concerned about safety during traveling

27 I had health problems Lack of transportation connections I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips Language skills Other Graph 17: Travel barriers of German respondents (Question 8, N=272) In case of German respondents it is important to mention that lack of time is a major barrier comparing to the project level results involving all nationalities. Every second German senior do not have enough time to travel. Besides health problems are also important. Financial issues are only effecting less than one third of German seniors. 27

28 United Kingdom (126 respondents) Table 14: Travel barriers of UK respondents (Question 8, N=126) Barrier of travel Not a barrier of travel No answer Financial reasons Lack of time There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination I was concerned about safety during traveling I had health problems Lack of transportation connections I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips Language skills Other

29 Graph 18: Travel barriers of German respondents (Question 8, N=126) In case of UK respondents it is important to mention that lack of time and the financial reasons are barriers comparing to the project level results involving all nationalities. They do not have problem with the offer supplied for them, and not surprisingly language is not a problem for them as an english speaking nation. Although health is a factor for almost every third UK nationals. US (86 respondents) Table 15: Travel barriers of US respondents (Question 8, N=86) Barrier of travel Not a barrier of travel No answer Financial reasons Lack of time There was no supply which I m interested in I was concerned about safety in the destination

30 I was concerned about safety during traveling I had health problems Lack of transportation connections I didn t have a travelling companion Accessibility in destinations was weak I didn t have needed travel documentations I m not interested in making holiday trips Language skills Other Graph 19: Travel barriers of US respondents (Question 8, N=86) 30

31 In case of US respondents it is important to mention that financial reasons are the most important barriers to travelling (60%). Lack of time is another obstacle for every second senior. The most interesting pattern of the travellers from the US is that they mentioned safety during travelling and safety in a destination as their third and fourth main travel barriers.. As a non-european nation, their citizens are taking as a travel barrier the language issue, although they are speaking English, the most commonly used global language. 31

32 Question 6. When you are considering a holiday trip, how important do you consider the following holiday taking motivations? Please answer to all. Evaluate on a scale from 1 (=no importance) to 5 (=extremely important). No importanc e Not very importan t Neutral Some importanc e to enjoy rest and silence to improve quality of life to make friends and socialize to look for romance to experience something new to escape routines to spend time with my family Other, name it: Extremely important On the overall project level 953 people being 55+ responded to this question on motivations for holiday. Experiencing something new is the most important factor for foreign seniors when they are planning their holidays. They are also looking for places to escape routines and to enjoy rest and silence. Regions have to offer places which are relaxing, and provide a safe environment for seniors. Spending time with the family is also important, but should be noted that meeting with new people is not really a motivation for holiday for seniors. Looking for romance or make new friendships and to socialize is not a priority for senior foreign travellers visiting the peripherial regions of Europe. Table 16: Motivations for Holiday (Question 6, N=953) No importance Not very important Neutral Some importance Extremely important No answer Average importance to enjoy rest and ,74 silence to improve quality ,30 of life to make friends ,18 and socialize to look for ,07 romance to experience ,01 something new to escape routins ,77 to spend time with ,66 my family other ,81 32

33 The survey provided an opportunity for respondents to name any missing holiday motivations. 31 respondents used this opportunity and mentioned history (7), culture (4) and to learn about different countries (4) as motivational factors. 2-times the following issues were mentioned as well: spirituality (learning about religion), outdoor activities (sport, hunting, fishing, experiencing nature). Food, world heritage, family heritage, geography, language practice, and looking for a house were also mentioned as motivational factors. Graph 20: Motivations for Holiday (Question 6, N=953) The results can be summarised that the respondents are interested in travelling with their family and friends, and just to have an enjoyable, and relaxing holiday in a new location. It should be noted that altogether 953 seniors responded to the question. However, some respondents did not provide answers to all options listed in the question. For this reason, the number of respondents varies slightly between different motivations. Question 7. If you consider going on a holiday what attracts you when you are choosing the destination? Please answer to all. Evaluate on a scale from 1 (=no importance) to 5 (=extremely important) how important the following attributes/activities of a destination are to you. No importanc e Not very important 33 Neutral Some importanc e Nature Historical sites Events and festivals Local culture Extremel y importan t

34 Gastronomy Wellness services Healthcare and medical services City life Country life Beach and sun Snow Religious sites Meeting local people Visiting friends and relatives Doing sports Light physical activities Heavy physical activities Shopping Dancing Making handicrafts Learning new things and educating myself Low prices Sustainability and environmental friendliness in the destination Good accessibility of services and activities Easy transportation connections Safety High quality hotel accommodation Standard hotel accommodation Cottage accommodation Camping Quality of services Possibility to use mobile guides in the destination Other, name it: The findings show that safety, quality of services, historical sites, local culture and nature are the Top 5 pull factors for seniors when choosing a destination. Making handicrafts, doing heavy physical activities, camping, dancing and snow do not interest senior travellers significantly. Based on the analysis of 33 factors, we can say that a perfect offer for a senior could be shaped out of the top 5 attractions. In addition, it is important to say that the 961 respondents are interested in gastronomy, easy transportation connections and high quality hotel accommodation. As an Other attractivity factor respondents named especially access to internet (3), active tourism opportunities (affordable golf packages, hiking), possibility to participate in church activities (mass) or simply just to provide proper maps to explore local attractions. 34

35 Table 17: Attraction Factors Choosing a Destination (Question 7, N=961) Rank Attraction Factor No importance Not very important Neutral Some importance Extremely important Don t know Average importance 1 Safety ,02 2 Quality of services ,00 3 Historical sites ,91 4 Local culture ,90 5 Nature ,89 6 Gastronomy , Easy transportation connections High quality hotel accommodation Good accessibility , , ,63 10 Standard hotel accommodation ,62 11 Sustainability and environmental ,56 friendliness in the destination 12 Low prices ,43 13 Country life ,34 14 Meeting local people ,30 15 Beach and sun , Events and festivals Healthcare and medical services Learning new things and educating myself , , ,15 19 Wellness ,06 35

36 services Visiting friends and relatives Possibility to use mobile guides in the destination Light physical activities , , ,94 23 Religious sites ,94 24 Shopping ,91 25 City life ,91 26 Cottage accommodation ,85 27 Doing sports ,62 28 Snow ,46 29 Dancing ,34 30 Heavy physical activities ,32 31 Camping ,31 32 Making handicrafts ,30 NR Other, name it: ,89 36

37 Graph 21: Attraction Factors Choosing a Destination (Question 7, N=961) It should be noted that altogether 961 seniors responded to the question. However, some respondents did not provide answers to all options listed in the question. For this reason, the number of respondents varies slightly between different attractions. 37

38 5. Main findings Based on the analysis of the 963 questionnaires filled in by senior citizens of 38 different nationalities, some main conclusions could be drawn upon. Results give an overall picture of the motivations, needs, habits and travel barriers of senior travellers in the TOURAGE regions. In generally, age is usually not an obstacle to tourism; even the older seniors (80+) are interested in tourism activities, and they should receive specific services according to their needs and interests. It is important to highlight that between seniors there are variaties and differences in age and personalities. There should be different services and assistance for younger and older seniors and diverse offer. The seniors are open to travelling abroad also during their retirement, however it is more of a question on whether service providers can understand their specific needs. The regional strategies should focus better on how to reach international senior tourists, and how to attract them into their respective regions. Most of the seniors prefer to organise their travel individually, however many of them use the services of travel agencies and they usually book travel and accommodation seperately instead of choosing allinclusive packages. Usually they travel with spouse or partner and friends. Many of them are married, therefore specific group offers should be created for them. Summer is the most favourable season for travelling but autumn and spring are almost as favourable seasons. There are some regional differences in preferred seasons, so in some countries winter is a usual holiday period as well for seniors. According to nationalities based on the analysis we can mention that especially non-european travellers spend longer periods on holiday, and not exclusively focusing on summer as a season, but prefer to travel in Autumn or Spring as well. Based on this survey there seems to be potential in developing off-season tourism offers for the seniors as they are mostly willing and able to travel throughout the year. The main barriers of travel are lack of time, health problems and financial reasons. Thus, more social support schemes or other senior discounts or affordable off-season products and packages should be created to make it possible for these groups to get involved in tourism. Also it is important to notice that for many seniors the lack of interesting supply is a barrier. This highlights the fact that it is important to study what are the actual needs, interests and motivations of the seniors and develop the products which they are interested in. This can be supported with the regional, national and EU level (senior) tourism strategies. 38

39 The most important sources of information relating to tourism are friends, relatives and family, and their own experiences. Although the media reaches this target group, social media is still not used in a largescale by the seniors. The most important holiday motivations are rest and silence and experiencing something new. Safety, quality of services, historical sites, local culture and nature are the top pull factors of seniors. This information can help entrepreneurs to design better tourism offer for seniors. 39

40 Annex 1 Questionnaire on the customer-needs in tourism for the over 55 years old foreign tourists A TOURISM MOTIVATION AND NEEDS 1. What has been the usual length of your holiday? Choose nights 4-7 nights 8-10 nights 2-3 weeks 1 month or more 2. Do you mostly travel in..? Choose 1 or more Spring Summer Autumn Winter 3. How have you usually organized your holiday trips? Choose 1 Travel / accommodation organised individually Travel/accommodation booked through a travel agency Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked via internet Package tour/all inclusive holiday booked through a travel agency Other, name it: 4. From the following information sources, which have been the most important ones when you have made a decision about your travel plans? Choose 3 40

41 Own personal experience Relatives and family Friends Recommendations of other people Guidebooks and magazines (commercial) Travel catalogues, brochures (non-commercial) Internet Travel / tourist agencies Media (newspaper, radio, TV) Social media (Facebook, twitter, blogs etc.) Other, name it: 5. With whom have you usually travelled? Choose 1 Spouse, partner Own child/children Grandchild/children Other relative(s) Friend(s) Alone Group travel with people you know Group travel with people you have not met before Other, name it 6. When you are considering a holiday trip, how important do you consider the following holiday taking motivations? Evaluate on a scale from 1 to 5 (1=no importance... 5=extremely important), 6=I don t know. Please answer to all. 41

42 No importanc e Not very important Neutral Some importanc e Extremely important Don t kno w to enjoy rest and silence to improve quality of life to make friends and socialize to look for romance to experience something new to escape routines to spend time with my family Other, name it: If you consider going on a holiday what attracts you when you are choosing the destination? Evaluate on a scale from 1 to 5 (1=no importance... 5=extremely important, 6=I don t know) how important the following attributes/activities of a destination are to you. Please answer to all. No importanc e Not very important Neutral Some importanc e Extremely important Nature Historical sites Events and festivals Local culture Gastronomy Wellness services Healthcare and medical services City life Country life Don t know 42

43 Beach and sun Snow Religious sites Meeting local people Visiting friends and relatives Doing sports Light physical activities Heavy physical activities Shopping Dancing Making handicrafts Learning new things and educating myself Low prices Sustainability and environmental friendliness in the destination Good accessibility of services and activities Easy transportation connections Safeness High quality hotel accommodation Standard hotel accommodation Cottage accommodation Camping Quality of services Possibility to use mobile guides in the destination

44 Other, name it: If you sometimes have decided not to travel for a holiday, which of the following barriers have been the reasons for not to travel? Please answer to all. Evaluate Y=Yes, N=No, n.a=i don t know Financial reasons Y N n.a Lack of time Y N n.a There was no supply which I m interested in Y N n.a I was concerned about safety in the destination Y N n.a I was concerned about safety during traveling Y N n.a I had health problems Y N n.a Transportation connections were lacking Y N n.a I didn t have a travelling companion Y N n.a Accessibility in destinations was weak Y N n.a I didn t have needed travel documentations Y N n.a I m not interested in making holiday trips Y N n.a Language skills Y N n.a. Other, name it: Y N n.a B REGION SPECIFIC QUESTIONS 9. Have you ever visited the following attractions? Please answer Y=yes, N= no, n.a=i don t know Based on Regional Analysis on Tourism Attraction 1 Y N n.a Based on Regional Analysis on Tourism Attraction 2 Y N n.a 44

45 Based on Regional Analysis on Tourism Attraction 3 Y N n.a Based on Regional Analysis on Tourism Attraction 4 Y N n.a Based on Regional Analysis on Tourism Attraction 5 Y N n.a 10. Which attraction/s in (name of the region) would you recommended for tourists aged 55 or over? C BACKGROUND INFORMATION 11. Gender Male Female 12. How old are you? years old 13. Place of residence Country: Region: City: 45

46 14. Marital status married single in a relationship widow/widower divorced 15. How would you evaluate your income compared to the national yearly average of people aged 55 or over in your home country? Deeply under the average Under the average On average Over the average More than double of the average 46