| Author: | Yang, Yizhe |
| Title: | Senior sojourners and their well-being : self-presentation from a mobilities perspective |
| Advisors: | Xiao, Honggen (SHTM) |
| Degree: | DHTM |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Subject: | Older people -- Travel Retirees -- China Retirement, Places of Tourism -- China -- Yunnan Sheng Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | ix, 138 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Following the inaugural World Senior Tourism Congress in 2018, tourism has officially emerged as an additional avenue for the development of active ageing. This statement aims to challenge people's subjective perceptions and sets ambitious long-term goals for the development of positive ageing awareness and behavioral change among older populations in different cultural contexts. Tourism is no longer just a mechanism to encourage domestic consumption, but a tool to promote positive ageing among seniors. While some research has been conducted on the relationship between ageing and tourism, more attention needs to be paid to fully understanding the impact of tourism on active ageing awareness and behavior of seniors. As a holistic system, the reasons and mechanisms behind this relationship need to be further scrutinized from an academic perspective at a micro level. This study reviews research on well-being in the context of tourism and sojourn, with a particular focus on the senior population. Yunnan Province is considered one of the more developed regions for sojourn tourism in China due to its unique location and seniors-friendly climate. The researcher selected the Dali sojourn base as a research sample, which is located on Yuehua Road（月华路）, Caicun（才村）, Dali City（大理）, Yunnan Province, 20 meters west of the Caicun Village Committee. To explore the theoretical frameworks, mechanisms, activation paths, and solutions for the wellbeing of senior sojourners, this study utilized a combination of mobile ethnography and video ethnography research methods. Accordingly, this study conducted fieldwork and semi-structured interviews with a sample of 26 participants in 11 groups, followed by further analysis of the sample's mental activities using video ethnography. The researcher combined metaphor extraction techniques, narrative analysis, and other methods to explore the perception of sojourners' well-being as well as the feedback mechanism, resulting in data triangulation to validate and ensure the credibility of the research process and qualitative data. This study clarifies the intrinsic response mechanism of Chinese seniors’ motivation for sojourning, while introducing related concepts such as well-being. From a positive psycho-emotional perspective, the influence and activation of positive attitudes toward the old aged and perceptions of sojourn experiences on the well-being of Chinese senior sojourners were explored. The results of this study reveal the personal feelings and experiences of Chinese seniors before, during, and after their sojourning to produce a clear picture of senior sojourners' behaviors and psychological activities. Based on the PERMA model, this study constructed a conceptual framework of well-being applicable to the context of senior sojourners to illustrate the interaction between motivational constructs and sojourner well-being of the Chinese seniors and to highlight the psychological and behavioral aspects of travel for the groups of Chinese seniors. The results of this study are expected to enhance the understanding of the tourism market for the Chinese senior groups. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7878.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 15.16 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Copyright Undertaking
As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:
- I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
- I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
- I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/13470