With today’s economic growth, improvement in living standard and the advance of medical technologies in Korea, people’s average life expectancy is getting longer and, as a consequence, the percentage of the old class in the population is gradually...
With today’s economic growth, improvement in living standard and the advance of medical technologies in Korea, people’s average life expectancy is getting longer and, as a consequence, the percentage of the old class in the population is gradually increasing. Different from the equivalents in the past, today’s old class has high economic power as well as more spare time than other classes, enjoys better medical services, and pursues high‐quality life. For these reasons, the aged population is rising as a potential market for the tourism industry. Moreover, because the old class has many options of traveling seasons compared to other age groups, they can play an important role in breaking through low seasons.
However, out of their fixed idea that elders are passive and weak economically, marketers and tourist behavior researchers have not pay much attention to the old group. Thus, for the efficient analysis of markets related to the old class, we need to study old people’s traveling pattern and the characteristics of their choice of tourism product.
The present study purposed to investigate the characteristics of old people’s choice of tourism product and to suggest appropriate measures and directions for product development, expecting to provide useful materials to tourism policy makers and developers in the central and local governments as well as to tourist companies for the development of tourism product.
For these purposes, we conducted both documentary study and empirical study, and for empirical study we conducted a questionnaire survey of male and female travelers aged over 60 who were visiting Jeju‐do, the most famous tourist attraction for aged people for four days from the 3^(rd) to the 7^(th) of May 2006. The number of participants was 225 but, excluding questionnaires answered insincerely, we analyzed a total of 208 as the final samples.
To analyze questions and tested hypotheses raised in this study, collected data were coded and processed using statistics package SPSS 13.0. Analysis was made through frequency analysis, factory analysis, t‐test, One‐way ANOVA, etc.
Implications obtained from the results of the empirical study on the characteristics of old people’s choice of tourism product are as follows.
First, the old class was found to enjoy their time with family and friend when traveling, and their main purpose of traveling was to take a rest. Therefore, when designing tourism product and tourist attractions, we need to develop facilities or places related to activities for real experiences as well as programs and events for strengthening ties of families or groups. Moreover, leisure facilities for the old people’s rest need to be expanded.
Second, the old class was found to consider transportation as the most important factor when choosing tourism product and, next, accommodation such as hotels and resorts, travel agency, price, the purpose of travel and incidental facilities. This suggests that, when developing tourism product and tourist attractions for the old class, we need to consider and improve facilities for old people’s convenient travel, focused on transportation, the management and convenience of accommodations, services, etc.
Third, in the aspect of price, because the old class can travel in low seasons, we can break through low seasons through attracting aged clients and activate the aged tourist market using low seasons.
Fourth, tourism product should be developed considering that the old class’ choice of tourism product is highly affected by their lifestyle.
In conclusion, in the present situation that outdated uniform and monotonous tourism product cannot meet tourists’ desires, we need to understand the changing desires and needs of aged tourists, who are rising as a new potential tourist market, and to develop tourism product and marketing strategies to meet such desires and needs. The development of tourist product for aged tourists should be specialized, and potential clients for the product should be thoroughly understood from a long‐term perspective.
As for future studies, it is considered meaningful to compare the future old class with other age groups and analyze their differences. In addition, research should be made on how to formulate the contents of questionnaires to survey old people. What is more, in addition to empirical study for understanding aged people’s desires and needs, it may be meaningful to propose marketing strategies and programs for activating domestic tourism.