Consumer Behaviour of Silver Singles on the E-Tourist Market
Consumer Behaviour of Silver Singles on the E-Tourist Market

Summary/Abstract: Purpose: To identify the consumption behaviours of singles aged 60+ (running single-person households) on the e-tourism market and to identify barriers to the use of this type of services, taking into account socio-demographic and economic factors. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 96 elderly Polish singles using (or not using) e-tourism. The survey was administered using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview method. Next, the answers were analysed with the use of advanced statistical tools (the Bonferroni method). Findings: 52% of the respondents have used tourist e-services at least once in the last two years. Most often, they searched for accommodation, trips, air and rail connections, purchased tickets in connection with a tourist trip, and searched for tourist offers on the Internet. Financial reasons and the lack of needs in this area were recognized as the dominant barriers to participation in e-tourism. Socio-demographic factors, i.e. gender, education, age and place of running a single-person household and economic factors shaped the behaviour of the respondents on the e-market discussed. Research limitations/implications: Firstly, a limited number of respondents does not allow for the generalization of the results. Secondly, as the study involved the use of a survey, the subjective interpretation of questions and a declarative nature of responses could have affected the results. Thirdly, the reasons for running a single-person household were not the focus of the study. Practical implications: The results can be used to develop more effective marketing strategies in tourism e-business and to manage the leisure time of elderly “silver” singles effectively. Originality/value: Research into the participation of elderly singles in e-tourism as a manifestation of civilization megatrends, including demographic, social and technological trends.

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