Social impacts of tourism

The aging of societies represents the most thorough – and what is more, guaranteed – foreseen change, which all high-income, and, particularly, most middle- and low-income countries are facing in the coming decades. According to forecasts, the worldwide proportion of people above the age of 65 will grow from today’s 8.5 percent to 16.7 percent by 2050, which is undoubtedly a considerable part of the world’s total population. Because this aspect of social change will manifest in dramatic but predictable ways, it provides the tourism industry – as well as all the other sectors – the need and the chance to prepare well in advance. Taking care of the well-being of the aging part of our societies is going to be a crucial issue. Based on the above-described dominant demographic trend and plenty of research exploring the interrelation between well-being and tourism, it seems essential to take a further look at how this correlation evolves in the case of seniors, the age group of 65 and older. A great number of researchers have already thoroughly investigated the relationship between traveling and quality of life and/or well-being, and many found less noteworthy correlation between them. However, this chapter seeks to critically review the literature on the interrelation among well-being and involvement in tourism, with special attention to the senior age group, which is a rare aspect among the approaches. The aim is to explore, and summarize, whether the involvement of seniors in tourism – either on the demand side as travelers, or on the supply side as service providers – has any positive effects on their well-being and, if so, and to what extent. Through a critical literature review, amended by practical international examples, this chapter highlights the importance of providing seniors the opportunity for being involved in tourism activities as a new dimension in the definition of social impacts of tourism. It includes not only the different aspects of demand- and supply-side involvement of seniors in tourism, but also specifies the differences among certain regions in terms of their well-being and its determinants.