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Definition of a new type of tourism niche—The geriatric tourism
Author(s) -
Tsartsara Stella Ioannis
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.2232
Subject(s) - tourism , hospitality , product (mathematics) , market segmentation , marketing , business , medicine , psychology , gerontology , geography , archaeology , geometry , mathematics
Abstract In this paper, a new type of tourism, the geriatric tourism, will be initiated for further research as a separate niche from health, medical, or wellness tourism, and it will be proven that the most relevant active and healthy ageing and well‐being products are touching upon more aspects than just wellness. Geriatric tourism does not exist in bibliography nor to the market as such. The innovative approach to the sales of the geriatric tourism packages is in the fact that geriatric tourism is promoted as a holistic approach of hospitality and possibly but not necessarily, long term type of care to a person with multiple morbidity, frailty, and possibly mild cognitive impairment while holidaying, however not for cure nor for care but for leisure. We will also prove that the term “senior traveller” based on any age limit above 50 years is not truly representative for any traveller's segment, as the same lifestyle criteria for the intention to buy a certain tourism product also apply to other age segments as well. And that the only classification of the tourism segments above 65 years as geriatric for the purpose of travel organization and management rather than marketing can occur when the chronic conditions due to ageing are causing impairment to a geriatric patient after chronicity onset but who has not nonetheless lost desire to accumulate life experiences. This classification of the undistinguished so far segment to a geriatric one presupposes the existence of a support system at the destination, which is not the same as that of the medical or health tourism offer with the intend to cure, but rather this of a long‐term care service.