Seniors and Tourism: An International Exploratory Study on the Use of the Internet for Researching Recreational Information

The aim of this research is to analyse the experience of seniors navigating the Web for information on vacation travel by studying the sources of information and the means they use while researching and planning their vacation. Our international exploratory analysis is based on semi-directed interviews held with 22 French and Canadian seniors who used the Internet to research their tourism destinations. On the theoretical side, the research pointed out 4 different senior internet users: senior-Altruist, senior-Opportunist, senior-Disinclined and senior-Web2.0. It also shows that social interactions help improve the pertinence and the specific information sought. On the management side, our results help clarify the best communication strategies for the tourism industry insofar as using particular tools adapted for seniors and the Internet.