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Senior tourism is increasingly expanding. This quantitative and exploratory study aims to understand the motivations that drive elderly travellers to visit the Azores. The Senior Tourists Motivation Scale (STMS) was applied to 470 participants. Collected data were submitted to nonparametric tests. The results showed that: i) STMS items' scores differ according to the type of tourist (national or foreign); ii) scores obtained in the three factors of the STMS differ between the two types of tourists, different age groups and levels of income perception. These findings may contribute in the future to the identification of market niches so that decision-makers can develop activities that suit these tourists' needs and desires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to research the main travel-related concerns that senior tourists face when planning a leisure trip. The study comprises 470 tourists, aged 55 or over, who visited the Azores and aims to determine the importance attributed to travel-related concerns and to investigate whether there is an association between socio-demographic characteristics, physical limitations, perceived economic performance, and social status and these concerns. It also intends to identify distinct market segments according to these variables. A quantitative approach allows concluding that senior tourists attach higher importance to the food supply, comfortable accommodation, and climate. Senior tourists are not a uniform market: three clusters were found, which have implications in product planning and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]