The influence of future time perspective on older adults' travel intention

Abstract

Ageing population has become more important to the travel industry because of increased life expectancy. This study aimed at participants above 60 years old, and a structural equation modelling package with R was used to investigate the relationships among chronological age, health condition, travel future time perspective (two dimensions: open-ended, limited), travel motivation (novelty/knowledge, socialization, rest/relaxation, family/friend), and travel intention in the proposed research framework (n = 577). The study results showed that chronological age and health condition were significantly associated with future time perspective, whereas general health condition was more predictable for travel intention than chronological age. The results indicate that a good health condition might be critical for boosting older adults' travel behaviours, not chronological age. The findings better understand older adults' travel behaviour based on age, health condition, and psychological state so that tourism marketers can better manage the ageing population. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.