TIAGO, Maria Teresa; COUTO, João; TIAGO, Flávio    FARIA, Sandra. Grey tourism patterns in Europe. []. , 13, 3, pp.12-25. ISSN 1645-4464.

Reflection of an ageing population with good health conditions and income, the grey tourism segment tends to increase worldwide. This segment is quite attractive to different regions, because it generates income flows and has an unseasoned travelling pattern. Europe being a continent plenty of cultural, natural and historical attractions, and diversity due to its ancient and rich history has great potential to attract woopies. This niche is traditionally considered as homogeneous in terms of preferences and buyer behavior. However, seniors travel market has many sub-groups and identifying their profiles, preferences and behavior is of key importance for organizations and institutions. This works attempts to unveil mature travellers main decisions factors and profiles. Data used in this work cover tourists from EU member states (27 at the time of this study), Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Israel. The results identify four distinctive segments inside grey tourism markets, with clear preferences in term of activity preference and information sources. By being aware of these differences, tourism firms can create products and services most appropriate for each sub-market and DMOs can put together a consistent destiny strategy, targeting specific niches.

: Grey Tourism; DMO; Europe; Consumer Behavior.

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