The Motivation and Satisfaction of Elderly Tourists Visiting Bali Tourism Destination Indonesia

Abstract

Now days, the elderly tourist has become a new market segment for the tourism industry because it has the power in two ways, i.e. purchasing power and leisure time. To be able to manage the elderly market, it must to be known what the needs and wants of them.  Therefore, conducted a study about the consumer behavior is urgent to be done.  This research is focused on the study of the elderly tourist, by in depth about the effect of motivation of the elderly tourist on the destination image, and also their satisfaction.  The destination loyalty research is conducted by mixed methods both quantitatively and qualitatively. The core problem explored in the current research is whether there is a relationship between the motivation and satisfaction of foreign senior tourists vacationing in Bali. This is a confirmatory study built on the tourist loyalty model developed by Yoon and Uysal (2003) and Chi (2005), based on the theory of consumer behavior and its application for tourism. The current study is an in-depth confirmation on the effects of travel motivation of the senior tourism segment on the segment’s satisfaction because satisfaction, in turn, affects tourist loyalty as the basis for repeat visits and recommendations for friends and relatives. A survey of 400 respondents was conducted, using field survey method, combining quantitative and qualitative data. The analytical tools utilized were descriptive statistical analysis, multivariate analysis (Structural Equation Modeling), and qualitative descriptive analysis. The tests on confirmation model revealed a relationship model between motivation and satisfaction of foreign senior tourists vacationing in Bali. The goodness of fit tests revealed that the model is replicable for similar research settings. Motivational push factors affect the satisfaction of foreign senior tourists vacationing in Bali, comprising of: (1) the push to visit new places, (2) the push to gain new knowledge and experience, and (3) the push to get out of the daily routine. In addition, motivational pull factors also affect the satisfaction of senior foreign tourists vacationing in Bali, comprising of: (1) health facilities, the quality of travel agency services, and (3) the quality of tour guides. The study also revealed that the opinions of senior tourists on Bali are not all positive; several respondents criticized the various problems that threaten the sustainability of Bali’s tourism. Crowded streets and traffic congestions are seen to be detrimental to Bali’s reputation as island paradise.

Keywords: foreign tourists, senior tourism, motivation, push factors, pull factors, tourist satisfaction