Understanding the influence of emotional solidarity, positive emotions and loneliness on senior tourists’ willingness to sojourn with companions

ABSTRACT

This study explores senior tourists' willingness to sojourn with companions and their emotional solidarity with residents. Interviews were conducted to gain insights into their previous travel experiences, preferences and behavioral intention when traveling with companions and their emotional solidarity with residents. Applying a grounded theory approach, this study found that senior tourists' emotional solidarity with residents includes three categories: identity perception, emotional closeness and feeling welcome which influence the formation of positive emotions such as curiosity, trust and happiness. The study also acknowledges the effects of loneliness on the elderly when they desire to sojourn with companions.

KEYWORDS:

• Senior tourists
• emotional solidarity
• positive emotions
• loneliness
• willingness to sojourn with companions
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Social Science Foundation of China (21BGL282).