Travel sharing capitalization: How travel sharing benefits senior tourists?

Faced with aging challenges, some seniors are adapting by embracing active lifestyles, and frequently engaging in tourism activities, which promote diverse travel-sharing behaviors. Despite this, studies often overlook the specific value and complexity of travel-sharing behaviors among seniors, instead focusing on younger cohorts. Our research fills that gap by investigating senior travel sharing and introducing travel sharing capitalization as a theoretical concept to describe the positive mechanism. We developed a model for this capitalization based on grounded theory and narrative research conducted with 49 senior tourists. We identified eight benefits that form four direct impacts and three indirect pathways, which go beyond the traditional socio-emotional gains for capitalization. These findings enhance our understanding of senior travel sharing, illustrating its spillover effects on daily lives of seniors and demonstrating how tourism-related behaviors contribute to active aging. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for managers in creating senior-friendly destinations, encourages seniors to identify with the travel lifestyle, and enhances their spiritual well-being.