Purpose This study examines domestic senior travelers’ experiences in the second-tier tourism city of Chiang Rai province, Thailand, and the mediating effects of information, physical and financial accessibility as new measurable dimensions, using an integrated framework of tourism value chain and accessible tourism. Design/methodology/approach This study employed nonprobability sampling with purposive selection. Data were collected using a survey instrument through in-person questionnaires from July to December 2023. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to examine the empirical structure of the research framework. Findings The findings highlight that the tourism value chain and accessible tourism produced a significant model explaining senior travelers’ experiences. The results also confirm that pre-trip experience has a strong influence on during-trip experience (including information, physical and financial accessibility) and post-trip experience. Furthermore, the mediating effect of information accessibility has the strongest influence in enhancing the post-trip experience. Research limitations/implications This study provides insights for tour operators, travel agents, tourism and hospitality planners and other stakeholders seeking to enhance products and services and to increase positive travel experiences for senior travelers. Future research should expand the study area to cover different second-tier cities in each region of Thailand. Originality/value This study highlights insights into domestic senior travelers’ experiences in a second-tier destination using a quantitative method to analyze an integrated model of the tourism value chain and accessible tourism in response to global demographic change.
Suwanthep et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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