Travel motivations and constraints of Portuguese retirees

ABSTRACT

Retirees have been growing in importance as a consumer segment targeted by the tourism industry, namely because they can minimize the typical seasonality of tourism and increase its sustainability. This study aims to contribute to a more in-depth knowledge of retirees’ behaviour and has two objectives: (i) describe tourist behaviour of seniors prior to and after retirement; (ii) identify and analyse retired consumers’ current motivations and constraints towards tourism. Qualitative research was conducted comprising interviews with 40 Portuguese retirees. The results indicate a diversity of experiences regarding tourism activities both before and after retirement, evidencing that past experience stands out as a determinant of retirees’ tourism behaviour. Moreover, three distinct segments of tourists emerge: the experts, the new tourists, and the non-tourists.

KEYWORDS:

• Tourist behaviour
• tourism motivations
• travel constraints
• senior tourists

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sandra Filipe

Sandra Filipe holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Higher Institute of Accounting and Administration of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a full researcher at the Research Unit for Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP). Her main research interests include consumer behaviour, relationship marketing, sustainability marketing and tourism.

Belem Barbosa

Belem Barbosa received her Ph.D. in Business and Management Studies - specialization in Marketing and Strategy from the University of Porto, Portugal. She is Assistant Professor at the School of Economics and Management, University of Porto, Portugal. She is full researcher at GOVCOPP, the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy. Her research interests lie primarily in the areas of digital marketing and digital consumer behaviour.

Claudia Amaral Santos

Claudia Amaral Santos holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics with specialization in Terminology from the University of Aveiro and Nova University in Lisbon, Portugal. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Accounting and Administration of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a full researcher at the Research Unit for Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP). Education, internationalization, consumer behaviour, tourism and sustainability issues are among her preferred research areas.