Exploring different aspects of inclusion and exclusion with regards access to tourism among the ageing population and how these barriers may affect who may or may not have the opportunity to take part in tourism related activities.
Author: Charlotte Marris
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Abstract:
This paper takes an alternative approach to understanding accessible tourism through analyzing the challenge of an ageing population and how often, this generation is seen as homogeneous and is therefore regularly generalized as being wealthy, care free with time to spare. However, as this paper will illustrate, this is not the case for a significant amount of the ageing population. In reality, a proportion of this population face struggles such as poverty, disability and marginalization. In turn, this leads to them being unable to access tourism for an array of reasons which will be discussed. This paper also draws on the ideas of other academics who have previously written about age and tourism and from this analysis, further questions and issues shall be raised with the overall aim being to highlight these problems with a hope that in the near future, access to tourism will become more equal and fair to members of society, regardless of their individual characteristics or requirements.
Key Words: Ageing population, marginalization, disability, poverty, social tourism
By the year 2030, the number of people aged over 65 will exceed 1 billion (Morgan et al, 2015). Various academics mention how the worlds ageing population is leading to an increased demand in tourism related activities among the older generation. When discussing the ‘ageing population’ most academics refer to the generation of ‘baby boomers’ who were born between the years 1946 and 1966 when the end of World War Two led to an increase in fertility rates (Moller et al, 2007). This generation is especially important to the tourism industry as it is generally noted that these individuals hold significant disposable incomes, a wealth of free time and the freedom to travel whenever and wherever they wish (McCormack et al, 2011).
The reason the topic of an ageing population and access to tourism was chosen is because very often in the literature, only one perspective is delivered, in the form of marketing strategies or how the tourism industry is benefiting greatly from the current demographic situation. However, this paper aims to challenge these one-sided, unarticulated views in order to give a voice to the people that these assumptions and generalizations do not apply to. This paper confronts the challenges and barriers associated with elderly people and access to tourism. Both positive and negative realities of the more privileged segment of the older generation, as well as those who are not as fortunate, who live off low state pensions, as well as possibly living with health problems or disabilities, will be analysed to understand how whilst a significant proportion do get the chance to take part in tourism related activities, some on the other hand do not.
Additionally, this paper brings to the forefront the true realities of those living with financial hardship which again, can be seen as another barrier to tourism. Age UK (2015) note how poverty is actually a significant concern among the elderly in the UK and state that “1 in 6 pensioners live in povertyâ€. Many pensioners view travel as a luxury due to this fact and before evening considering the concept of a holiday, must use their minimal amount of money to pay for food, household bills, health care, as well as other necessities.
An effort is made to highlight areas which literature fails to address, which is why the topic of marital status is also raised. Amongst other assumptions within literature, is the fact that not all older people have partners or in some situations, are likely to have proceeded with the later stages of their life alone, due to the fact that women on average have longer life expectancies than men. Moller et al (2007 p.3) highlight how some elderly individuals believe that the lack of someone to travel with creates a “substantial barrier†when it comes to pleasure travel. This then leads on to the concept of social tourism which is one way in which the barriers to accessible tourism are broken down, allowing those marginalised, often forgotten about members of society, being able to share holiday experiences with others in the same situation. Examples of successful schemes are put forward, such as the IMSERO programme which is based in Spain and offers opportunities for senior citizens to participate in holidays organised specifically for them which take place during the “shoulder season†(Minnaert, 2012 p.612) along coastal resorts in Spain.
Another important factor raised in the paper is disability among the elderly because it challenges the view that the ageing population is made up of “healthier†individuals who are “likely to experience active livelihoods for decades after retirement†(Boschmann and Brady, 2013 p.2). Alen et al (2012 p.3) states that “35% of people over 65 have some type of disability†which validates the reason into exploring how those assumptions are not universally true and why more needs to be done to minimize exclusion and marginalization in the tourism environment. Darcy et al (2010, p.6) introduce “universal design†which relates to accessible tourism and how certain adaptations within tourism settings break down barriers for those with disabilities or impairments as well as able bodied individuals. With the process of ageing comes the increased likelihood of developing health concerns as well as disabilities or impairments, which is why the effort is made to link the two factors (age and disability) together to show how very often elderly people face the challenges of both the inevitable process of ageing as well as living with a disability. It must also be mentioned that the paper covers the important fact relating to how both of these labels, old and disabled, often attract negative, stereotypical connotations. This however, is not the case because both groups are heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. They each hold unique experiences, capabilities and life experiences which is why they should not be categorized into groups.
Overall, this paper offers alternative insights into the different challenges and barriers which appear when discussing an ageing population and tourism. There is a hope that this discussion will enable individuals to realize how life after retirement isn't all about positivity and being carefree for everyone within the older generation and more research needs to be done to highlight these issues and to confront and take action regarding equality and access to tourism.
References:
Alen, E., Dominguez, T. and Losada, N. (2012) New Opportunities for the Tourism Market: Senior Tourism and Accessible Tourism. Visions for Global Tourism Industry, 1-29
Darcy, S., Cameron, B. and Pegg, S. (2010) Accessible Tourism and Sustainability: A Discussion and Case Study. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18 (4) 515-537
McCormack, C., Cameron, P. Campbell, A. and Pollock, K. (2011) ‘I want to do more than just cut the sandwiches’: Female baby boomers seek authentic leisure in retirement. Annals of Leisure Research, 11 145-167
This paper takes an alternative approach to understanding accessible tourism through analyzing the challenge of an ageing population and how often, this generation is seen as homogeneous and is therefore regularly generalized as being wealthy, care free with time to spare. However, as this paper will illustrate, this is not the case for a significant amount of the ageing population. In reality, a proportion of this population face struggles such as poverty, disability and marginalization. In turn, this leads to them being unable to access tourism for an array of reasons which will be discussed. This paper also draws on the ideas of other academics who have previously written about age and tourism and from this analysis, further questions and issues shall be raised with the overall aim being to highlight these problems with a hope that in the near future, access to tourism will become more equal and fair to members of society, regardless of their individual characteristics or requirements.
Key Words: Ageing population, marginalization, disability, poverty, social tourism
By the year 2030, the number of people aged over 65 will exceed 1 billion (Morgan et al, 2015). Various academics mention how the worlds ageing population is leading to an increased demand in tourism related activities among the older generation. When discussing the ‘ageing population’ most academics refer to the generation of ‘baby boomers’ who were born between the years 1946 and 1966 when the end of World War Two led to an increase in fertility rates (Moller et al, 2007). This generation is especially important to the tourism industry as it is generally noted that these individuals hold significant disposable incomes, a wealth of free time and the freedom to travel whenever and wherever they wish (McCormack et al, 2011).
The reason the topic of an ageing population and access to tourism was chosen is because very often in the literature, only one perspective is delivered, in the form of marketing strategies or how the tourism industry is benefiting greatly from the current demographic situation. However, this paper aims to challenge these one-sided, unarticulated views in order to give a voice to the people that these assumptions and generalizations do not apply to. This paper confronts the challenges and barriers associated with elderly people and access to tourism. Both positive and negative realities of the more privileged segment of the older generation, as well as those who are not as fortunate, who live off low state pensions, as well as possibly living with health problems or disabilities, will be analysed to understand how whilst a significant proportion do get the chance to take part in tourism related activities, some on the other hand do not.
Additionally, this paper brings to the forefront the true realities of those living with financial hardship which again, can be seen as another barrier to tourism. Age UK (2015) note how poverty is actually a significant concern among the elderly in the UK and state that “1 in 6 pensioners live in povertyâ€. Many pensioners view travel as a luxury due to this fact and before evening considering the concept of a holiday, must use their minimal amount of money to pay for food, household bills, health care, as well as other necessities.
An effort is made to highlight areas which literature fails to address, which is why the topic of marital status is also raised. Amongst other assumptions within literature, is the fact that not all older people have partners or in some situations, are likely to have proceeded with the later stages of their life alone, due to the fact that women on average have longer life expectancies than men. Moller et al (2007 p.3) highlight how some elderly individuals believe that the lack of someone to travel with creates a “substantial barrier†when it comes to pleasure travel. This then leads on to the concept of social tourism which is one way in which the barriers to accessible tourism are broken down, allowing those marginalised, often forgotten about members of society, being able to share holiday experiences with others in the same situation. Examples of successful schemes are put forward, such as the IMSERO programme which is based in Spain and offers opportunities for senior citizens to participate in holidays organised specifically for them which take place during the “shoulder season†(Minnaert, 2012 p.612) along coastal resorts in Spain.
Another important factor raised in the paper is disability among the elderly because it challenges the view that the ageing population is made up of “healthier†individuals who are “likely to experience active livelihoods for decades after retirement†(Boschmann and Brady, 2013 p.2). Alen et al (2012 p.3) states that “35% of people over 65 have some type of disability†which validates the reason into exploring how those assumptions are not universally true and why more needs to be done to minimize exclusion and marginalization in the tourism environment. Darcy et al (2010, p.6) introduce “universal design†which relates to accessible tourism and how certain adaptations within tourism settings break down barriers for those with disabilities or impairments as well as able bodied individuals. With the process of ageing comes the increased likelihood of developing health concerns as well as disabilities or impairments, which is why the effort is made to link the two factors (age and disability) together to show how very often elderly people face the challenges of both the inevitable process of ageing as well as living with a disability. It must also be mentioned that the paper covers the important fact relating to how both of these labels, old and disabled, often attract negative, stereotypical connotations. This however, is not the case because both groups are heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. They each hold unique experiences, capabilities and life experiences which is why they should not be categorized into groups.
Overall, this paper offers alternative insights into the different challenges and barriers which appear when discussing an ageing population and tourism. There is a hope that this discussion will enable individuals to realize how life after retirement isn't all about positivity and being carefree for everyone within the older generation and more research needs to be done to highlight these issues and to confront and take action regarding equality and access to tourism.
References:
Alen, E., Dominguez, T. and Losada, N. (2012) New Opportunities for the Tourism Market: Senior Tourism and Accessible Tourism. Visions for Global Tourism Industry, 1-29
Darcy, S., Cameron, B. and Pegg, S. (2010) Accessible Tourism and Sustainability: A Discussion and Case Study. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18 (4) 515-537
McCormack, C., Cameron, P. Campbell, A. and Pollock, K. (2011) ‘I want to do more than just cut the sandwiches’: Female baby boomers seek authentic leisure in retirement. Annals of Leisure Research, 11 145-167