What role geoparks play improving the health and well-being of senior tourists?

Rafael Robina-Ramírez; María Martín-Lucas; Alline Dias; Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22295

What role geoparks play improving the health and well-being of senior tourists?

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 14;9(11):e22295. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22295. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Rafael Robina-Ramírez¹, María Martín-Lucas¹, Alline Dias¹, Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez²

Affiliations

¹ Business Management and Sociology Department, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain.
² Economy Department, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain.

Abstract

In recent years geoparks, helped by governmental policies, have become tourist destinations especially among senior visitors. The paper aimed to analyse whether geoparks contribute to improving the health of tourists older than 65 years and what were their main motives to visit geoparks. The data were collected from 398 senior tourists who visited the Villuerca- Ibores-Jara Geopark (Spain) in 2023, presenting our results using SmartPLS version 4. The results showed that senior tourists are very interested in visiting this geopark for psychotherapeutic reasons, given its high environmental and geological interest. In addition, they consider geoparks as spaces where they can socialise, which is beneficial considering the isolation that many often experience during the year. These findings are highly relevant for public authorities to protect, maintain and promote geoparks among senior tourists.

Keywords: Geoparks; Health and well-being; Psycho-therapeutic motivation; Senior tourism; environmental and geological motivation.