Senior tourism in the digital world: a systematic review and research agenda

Purpose The aging population has made senior tourism an increasingly important research domain, due to its economic potential and its contribution to healthy aging. This study aims to offer a comprehensive systematic review and propose a research agenda. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a systematic review of 191 papers published in the 21st century, adopting the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses protocol. Findings Five dominant research themes have been identified in existing senior tourism research: (1) health and well-being promotion, (2) travel profiles and motivations of senior tourists, (3) market segmentation and group heterogeneity, (4) service optimization and barrier-free design and (5) technology applications and digital challenges. Building on these findings, the study proposes a future research agenda emphasizing more theories on senior tourism studies and interdisciplinary theoretical advancement, the mental health of senior tourists, more needs of senior tourists, more diverse senior travel segments, cross-cultural validation, barrier-free services using emerging technologies, longitudinal approaches and integrated supply-demand perspectives. Originality/value The authors contribute to the literature by creating an adapted balanced scorecard framework in the digital world, which maps the various research themes of senior tourism. This systematic review paper provides a theory-context-method-based roadmap for advancing scholarly inquiry in the field.