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The Specific Needs and Perceptions of Senior Travelers Understanding an unrecognized tourism market segment

The senior tourism market is seen as unrecognized due to a lack of awareness and scarce specific offers for seniors traveling. seniors have specific needs and preferences which to some extent stem from their self- perceptions.The senior market should therefore not be segmented and approached by age, but by behavioral segments, including psychographics and preferences. Some seniors feel and act younger than their chronological age, with social identities and self-categorization furtherly influencing travel preferences and behaviors among seniors.

World Tourism Organization

This portal provides UNWTO resources targeting both public and private sectors to include accessibility into their policies and businesses strategies. All resources have been developed in collaboration with Organizations with Persons with Disabilities (DPOs), and key civil society and tourism sector stakeholders. Most of publications guidelines and recommendations have been laid-out following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (level AA).

ACCESSIBLE TOURISM FOR ALL IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Three main prerequisites for the development of accessible tourism for all in the European Union are determined and characterized, in particular, existing accessibility legislation and standards at the global, European and national levels, population ageing and increase in the number of people with disabilities. There is the problem in Ukraine of the lack of accessibility standards for tourism facilities and services, so it is important to learn the experience of the European Union.

The European market potential for accessible tourism

Accessible Tourism for people with disabilities is a large, valuable market. It does not focus on what tourists cannot do, but on what they can do. The European market offers many opportunities, as it is growing and still largely untapped. For this reason, competition is limited. France, the United Kingdom and Germany offer the main markets. Trends that offer opportunities include focussing on multi-generational travel and offering soft-adventure activities that are suitable for disabled travellers.