Yusuf Alper BAŞTÜRK
Abstract
The senior tourism sector, akin to other industries, has continued to diversify and expand. Among these emerging sectors, senior tourism has become one of the most prominent. This study aims to analyze research conducted in the field of senior tourism from 2014 to 2024 and identify potential future opportunities. To this end, articles published in English in the topic category (title, abstract, keyword plus, and author keywords) on Web of Science, containing the terms ‘senior tourism,’ ‘retirement tourism,’ ‘senior friendly tourism,’ ‘third age tourism,’ ‘elderly tourism,’ and ‘elderly tour,’ were examined, resulting in a total of 388 articles. The results indicate that although publications related to senior tourism have increased, the number of citations has declined. The country with the highest citation count is China, and the most relevant affiliation is Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Among the 15 most frequently occurring keywords, terms such as hospitality, sustainability, motivation(s), travel, rural tourism, well-being, and quality of life are particularly prominent. Additionally, it was observed that single-authored papers are more prevalent than multi-authored works. The senior tourism literature, between 2014 and 2024, has transitioned from sector-specific and rural tourism topics to innovative themes such as individual well-being, health, and sustainability. As of 2024, strategic issues such as corporate social responsibility, gender differences, and competitive advantage have become more prominent. Senior tourism offers significant opportunities for the sustainable growth of the health tourism industry, in response to demographic shifts and the increasing travel demands of the aging population.
Keywords: Senior Tourism, Retirement Tourism, Third Age Tourism, Bibliometric, Bibliometrix, Biblioshiny
JEL Codes: I11, L83, Z32
How to Cite: Baştürk, Y. A. (2025). A Bibliometric Analysis of Senior Tourism: Trends, Insights, and Future Directions. Health Tourism Journal, 1(1), 55-75.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15699834
