Effect of previous experience and travel motivation on behavioral intention: moderating influence of the new-age elderly in Thailand as an emerging country

Abstract

Very few studies have examined the travel motivation of elderly tourists from emerging countries. Aiming to fill this gap, this study focuses on elderly tourists (traditional-age elderly and new-age elderly) from an emerging country to understand how they made decisions in planning their domestic and foreign trips. This study also examines the interrelationships among three main constructs: previous experience, travel motivation and behavioral intention. The sample for this study included 420 male and female elderly people in Thailand aged 60-80 years old who had experience traveling to both domestic and international destinations. A questionnaire with a 5-level rating scale was employed as the research instrument. The overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient value for all the attributes of the questionnaire was .950, which confirms the internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed by means of confirmatory factor analysis, multiple groups analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results of this study confirmed the relationship between previous experience and behavioral intention with travel motivation serving as a mediator. The elderly group (separated into traditional-age elderly and new-age elderly) moderated the effect between previous experience and travel motivation, between previous experience and behavioral intention, and between travel motivation and behavioral intention. The results of this research are useful for entrepreneurs in tourism businesses in emerging countries to better understand new-age elderly tourists and to create appropriate tourism plans through the application of the results of this study.