Enhancing the Quality of Life of Seniors through Goals: A Theory

Keynote at the virtual conference Consumer Behavior in Tourism Symposium (CBTS) 2020 The goal of this presentation is to develop a theory that sheds more light on senior tourist behavior. The theory is based on concepts from research on senior tourism, the goal theory of leisure travel satisfaction, and socio-emotional selectivity theory. The theory involves four central principles: 1. selecting leisure travel goals that have high levels of positive valence, 2. selecting leisure travel goals that are very likely to be attained, 3. engaging in actions that would implement those leisure travel goals, and 4. engaging in actions that would allow tourists to experience goal attainment. Sirgy describes these theoretical principles and sub-principles in relation to senior tourists to build a research agenda and encourage future research.