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2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition
497
Vincent and de Los Santos (1990) replicated and validated Shoemaker’s study with a sample of winter
Texan seniors. The result resembled Shoemaker’s “active resters” and “older set.” They preferred to plan their trips,
took long vacations, and pursued numerous touristic activities. Those who stayed in parks matched closely the
profile of “active resters,” while those who rented apartments, homes, or condos had characteristics similar to those
of the “older set.”
Cleaver, Muller, Ruys, and Wei (1999) stressed the strategic usefulness of identifying travel-motive
segments for tourism product development. Interviews of 356 senior citizens yielded data on their motives for
holiday travel, preferences for holiday destination types, favorite mode of travel, and personal values. Seven travel-
motive segments were determined with factor analyses: Nostalgics (32.0%), Friendlies (22.7%), Learners (18.9%),
Escapists (9.3%), Thinkers (7.1%), Status-Seekers (6.5%), and Physicals (3.4%). The four largest segments
represented 83% of the mature tourism market.
You and O’Leary (1999) examined the diversity and heterogeneity of the older UK outbound travelers
market and segmented it based on travel push and pull factors. The older market was segmented into three distinct
groups — passive visitors, the enthusiastic go-getters, and the culture hounds — based on the premise that older
travelers who share similar values were more likely to exhibit similar patterns of travel behavior, patterns that differ
from those other older travelers of different travel motivations and other psychographic characteristics. The three
segments exhibit distinct differences in demographics as well as their destination participation patterns, travel
philosophies, trip frequencies and other travel characteristics. This research showed that the older traveler market
showed more heterogeneity in their travel preferences and travel behavior.
Lehto, O’Leary, and Lee (2001) identified three distinct groups with two-stage cluster analysis, namely,
“independent eco-tourists,” “enthusiastic female experiencers,” and “budget conscious relaxation seekers.” The
independent eco-tourists generally demonstrated a strong desire to learn about nature and environment. They
actively participated in nature-oriented activities, while they were least interested in people-oriented activities. They
were adventure-spirited, and they tended to enjoy physically-challenging activities. They had little interest in group
tour, and being able to drive on their own was very important to these independent travelers. The second cluster was
mostly composed of female travelers. They had the highest interest in long distance travel. They were enthusiastic
about experiencing and learning about new stuff. They participated in diverse activities. They enjoyed traveling with
guided group tours, but they were not concerned with travel-associated expense and they looked for value and
quality in their travel, which distinguished them from budget travelers. The third cluster was price-sensitive and
budget conscious. The major benefit they were seeking from travel was relaxation. Easy and relaxing beach
activities were most attractive to them.
Norman, Daniels, McGuire, and Norman (2001) studied the travel motivations of veteran-mature travelers
(ages 65+) and the neo-mature travelers (ages 50-64) based on the push-pull model of motivation. The importance of
35 travel benefits (push factors) and 85 vacation attributes (pull factors) were examined. Factor analysis identified
six travel motives (i.e., escape, education, family, action, relaxation, and ego) and nine vacation travel attributes
(i.e., natural surroundings, good weather, tourism infrastructure, budget dining and accommodations, cultural and
historical attractions, manmade attractions, people, upscale facilities, and outdoor recreation opportunities). Four
push factors (i.e., escape, education, action and relaxation) and three pull factors (i.e., natural surroundings, upscale
facilities and outdoor recreation opportunities) were found significantly different for neo-mature and veteran-mature
travelers; however, with income and retirement status as control variables, age effect was mediated.
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