Sustainable Service of Young Tour Guides for Senior Tourists: An Exploration Based on Intergenerational Relationships and Intergroup Contact

This study investigates intergenerational relationships between young tour guides and senior tourists in group tourism, an area that has received limited scholarly attention. Using a mixed-methods, dual-perspective, cross-sectional design, it examines the influence of intergenerational relationships and intergroup contact on service performance. The qualitative phase, with 43 participants, identified connections between role perceptions, intergenerational relationships, and service outcomes, while sentiment analysis showed that positive emotions outweighed negative ones in both groups. The quantitative phase, drawing on 514 participants, revealed that role perception enhanced intergenerational solidarity, which improved service willingness and quality. Senior tourists’ perceptions were negatively linked to intergenerational conflict, whereas young tour guides’ perceptions showed no significant association. These results highlight that constructive intergroup contact fosters solidarity and that service training, health contingency planning, and cross-generational communication practices can enhance harmony and service delivery in group tourism, offering clear guidance for organizations serving aging travel markets.