Digital Empowerment for High-Quality Development of Silver Tourism: Evidence from Hubei Province, China

Abstract

As China experiences rapid population aging, promoting high-quality tourism for older adults has become essential for enhancing elderly well-being, improving inclusive and age-friendly tourism services, supporting culture–tourism integration, and fostering sustainable destination development. Drawing on the global literature on smart tourism, digital inclusion for older adults, and service quality in aging societies, this study investigates how digital empowerment (DE) influences the high-quality development of silver tourism (HDST) in Hubei Province, China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to survey data from 702 elderly respondents, incorporating cultural tourism integration (CTI), age-friendly service adaptation (ASA), and perception of silver tourists (PST), with family support (FS) and policy support (PS) as key moderating variables. The results indicate that DE significantly promotes HDST through ASA and PST, while FS and PS play important moderating roles. These findings provide practical guidance for tourism practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance age-friendly digital services, improve the tourism experience for older adults, and support the sustainable development of silver tourism.

1. Introduction

Population aging represents one of the most profound and irreversible demographic shifts in human history. According to the United Nations [1], the global population aged 65 and above is projected to increase from 761 million in 2021 to over 1.6 billion by 2050, accounting for nearly 16% of the world population. In China, this trend is even more pronounced. By 2050, more than 30% of the population is expected to be aged 60 or older, positioning China among the most aged societies globally [2] (Figure 1). These macro-level demographic changes have direct implications for regional tourism development. In provinces such as Hubei, where population aging coincides with rich culture-tourism, ecological tourism, wellness tourism, and natural scenic resources, tourism destinations face increasing pressure to provide age-friendly, digitally inclusive, and well-coordinated services for older adults. Therefore, examining how DE can support high-quality silver tourism development in Hubei provides a meaningful regional context for understanding the broader challenges of aging, tourism service adaptation, and sustainable destination development.

Against this demographic backdrop, the silver economy—economic activities driven by individuals aged 50 and above—has attracted growing global attention. Key sectors such as healthcare, finance, and tourism are being reshaped by this shift [3,4,5]. Among them, silver tourism, referring to tourism tailored to older adults, has emerged as an important growth area. Senior tourists, empowered by financial independence, flexible schedules, and cultural curiosity, increasingly influence tourism markets and contribute significantly to tourism development [6,7,8]. However, many tourism systems remain insufficiently adapted to their specific needs, which poses challenges for promoting sustainable tourism that is inclusive and accessible to this growing demographic [9].

DE, defined as the integration of technologies such as online booking systems, health monitoring apps, digital navigation, and emergency response tools, has become a key enabler of high-quality and sustainable silver tourism [10]. Technologies such as VR/AR and mobile platforms create opportunities for immersive and safe experiences [11,12], yet many elderly individuals still face barriers related to usability, accessibility, and trust [3,13,14]. This highlights the need for age-friendly digital solutions tailored to the cognitive and physical characteristics of senior users, which not only improve their travel experiences but also promote sustainable tourism development by reducing environmental impacts and improving resource utilization.

Meanwhile, ASA has gained attention as an important mechanism for meeting the emotional, cognitive, and physical needs of older travelers. Such adaptation includes flexible itineraries, trained staff, inclusive design, and medical preparedness [15,16]. In parallel, CTI, which combines wellness, local heritage, and meaningful travel experiences, further enriches elderly tourism and enhances its sustainability by preserving cultural heritage and promoting local economies [17].

In addition, FS and PS play critical roles in shaping elderly tourism experiences. In collectivist societies such as China, family involvement influences intergenerational decision-making and tourism participation [18,19]. Likewise, government support through subsidies, infrastructure investment, and service regulation strengthens the implementation of age-friendly tourism strategies and promotes inclusive and sustainable development [6,14,20].

Despite increasing scholarly interest in aging and tourism, existing studies remain fragmented in several respects. First, research on digital tourism has mainly emphasized technology adoption, service efficiency, and smart tourism experiences [10,12,16], while paying relatively limited attention to how DE can be converted into high-quality tourism outcomes for older adults. Second, studies on silver tourism and age-friendly services have largely focused on travel motivation, constraints, accessibility, satisfaction, and well-being [7,8,9,15,16], but have not fully explained the sequential service–perception mechanism through which digital and cultural resources influence elderly tourists’ experiences and broader tourism development outcomes. Third, although FS and PS are widely recognized as important contextual factors in elderly tourism [18,19,20], their roles as interpersonal and institutional boundary conditions in the digital empowerment–silver tourism relationship remain underexplored. Therefore, the theoretical gap addressed in this study is not only whether DE contributes to silver tourism development, but also how and under what contextual conditions such an effect occurs.

To address this gap, this study focuses on Hubei Province, a tourism-rich yet increasingly aged region in central China. By the end of 2023, Hubei’s permanent population had reached 58.38 million, with 23.6% aged 60 and above and 16.9% aged 65 and above, indicating a stage of deep population aging [21]. Although the province hosts well-known cultural attractions such as the Wudang Mountains and Yellow Crane Tower, it still faces challenges related to digital infrastructure, healthcare–tourism integration, and age-friendly service standards, which are essential for promoting sustainable tourism [17].

Accordingly, this study develops and empirically tests a structural model in which DE and CTI act as key drivers, ASA and PST function as mediators, and FS and PS serve as moderators. Based on survey data from 702 elderly respondents aged 55 and above in Hubei Province, PLS-SEM is employed to test twelve hypotheses covering direct, indirect, and moderating effects.

The theoretical novelty of this study lies in conceptualizing high-quality silver tourism development as a multi-stage transformation process rather than as a direct consequence of technological application. Specifically, DE and CTI are regarded as resource-based antecedents, ASA is positioned as a service-conversion mechanism, and PST is introduced as a subjective evaluation mechanism that links service adaptation to tourism development outcomes. This service–perception–development pathway explains how technological and cultural resources are transformed into inclusive and sustainable tourism outcomes for older adults. Moreover, by incorporating FS and PS as moderating variables, this study extends the analysis beyond an individual-level technology adoption perspective and highlights the interpersonal and institutional boundary conditions under which digital and service innovations become more effective.

This study makes three main theoretical contributions. First, it extends DE theory to the field of silver tourism by demonstrating that DE contributes to high-quality tourism development not merely through technological access or service digitalization, but through its transformation into age-friendly, trustworthy, and confidence-enhancing tourism services. This helps shift the discussion of DE from a technology-centered perspective to an elderly-user-centered service perspective. Second, this study develops an integrated service–perception–development framework by linking DE, CTI, ASA, PST, and HDST. This framework clarifies the sequential mechanism through which technological and cultural inputs are converted into elderly tourists’ positive perceptions and sustainable tourism outcomes. Third, by incorporating FS and PS as moderating variables, this study enriches the socio-ecological understanding of silver tourism development and identifies the interpersonal and institutional boundary conditions under which digital and service innovations become more effective. Empirically, the study also provides contextual evidence from Hubei Province, a central Chinese region characterized by deep population aging and rich cultural-tourism resources.

2. Literature Review

Existing studies on digital tourism, senior tourism, age-friendly services, and sustainable tourism provide important foundations for understanding silver tourism development [7,10,16,22]. However, these research streams have often been examined separately, leaving insufficient understanding of how technological and cultural resources are transformed into age-friendly services, positive elderly tourist perceptions, and sustainable tourism outcomes [9,13,17,23]. From a sustainability perspective, silver tourism development should not be evaluated only by market growth or technology adoption, but also by its contribution to digital inclusion, service accessibility, intergenerational support, policy coordination, elderly well-being, and socially inclusive tourism development [19,20,24,25]. Therefore, this review is organized around the logic of the proposed model: digitalization and CTI as resource inputs, ASA and tourist perception as transformation mechanisms, and family and PS as boundary conditions for inclusive and sustainable silver tourism.

To reduce potential conceptual overlap among the core constructs, this study distinguishes CTI, ASA, and PST according to their theoretical roles in the value-transformation process. CTI refers to the integration of cultural, wellness, and tourism resources at the product and destination level; ASA refers to the adaptation of services and environments to older tourists’ physical, cognitive, and emotional needs; and PST refers to older tourists’ subjective evaluation of the resulting tourism experience.

2.1. Digital Empowerment in Silver Tourism

DE refers to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance service accessibility, usability, and user experience, particularly for older adults [10]. Prior studies have emphasized the positive role of ICTs and tourism apps in improving destination management, service efficiency, and the sustainability of tourism experiences [22,26]. In silver tourism, DE may include mobile navigation, online booking, smart health monitoring, digital interpretation, and emergency assistance systems, all of which can improve convenience, safety, autonomy, and decision-making among older tourists [3,14].

However, the literature also reveals a clear tension between DE and digital exclusion. While digital technologies are often presented as tools for improving convenience, autonomy, safety, and service efficiency in tourism, older tourists may not automatically benefit from them because of limited digital literacy, usability difficulties, trust concerns, system complexity, and anxiety toward unfamiliar technologies [13,15,27]. This tension is particularly important from a sustainability perspective because digital tourism may reproduce exclusion if older adults are unable to access, understand, or trust digital services. This digital divide is particularly salient in silver tourism because older adults are increasingly expected to use smart tourism tools such as online booking, QR-code entry, digital payment, mobile navigation, and digital information platforms, while their digital literacy, trust, physical conditions, and cognitive capacities may not fully match the technological requirements of smart tourism services.

Therefore, DE should not be understood merely as the availability of technological tools. Rather, its value depends on whether digital resources can be translated into accessible, trustworthy, and age-friendly tourism services [16,23]. In this sense, DE provides the technological foundation, while ASA determines whether such resources can actually improve elderly tourists’ experiences. Accordingly, this study argues that DE is likely to promote ASA, which in turn contributes to positive perceptions and high-quality silver tourism development.

2.2. Cultural–Tourism Integration

CTI refers to the integrated development of cultural resources, natural scenic resources, wellness activities, leisure experiences, and tourism services [17]. It is not limited to cultural heritage sites, museums, historical districts, or humanistic attractions, but also includes natural tourism destinations such as mountains, lakes, forests, and scenic areas when these destinations incorporate cultural meanings, local traditions, ecological values, wellness functions, and tourism services. For older tourists, CTI is not only a form of recreation but also a way to pursue cultural identity, nostalgia, lifelong learning, emotional resonance, wellness experiences, and social participation [9,28]. Previous studies have shown that CTI can enrich destination experiences, support local economic development, promote cultural expression, and contribute to sustainable tourism development [17,29].

This broader understanding of CTI also suggests that culture–tourism integration does not automatically generate age-friendly outcomes. Different types of tourism destinations may differ substantially in their age-friendly service capacity. For example, some heritage-based or urban cultural-tourism destinations may have relatively more developed digital services, visitor centers, accessible facilities, and emergency support, whereas remote mountainous or natural scenic destinations may face greater challenges in digital connectivity, barrier-free infrastructure, medical preparedness, and elderly-friendly service adaptation.

Existing studies on CTI tend to emphasize resource integration, destination development, and economic revitalization [30,31], whereas senior tourism studies focus more on accessibility, health, safety, and emotional needs [9,13,17,32]. This separation may overlook an important issue: cultural and wellness resources generate value for older adults only when they are translated into accessible, understandable, and age-friendly services that match their physical, cognitive, and emotional characteristics [9,16,28]. For example, cultural routes, heritage interpretation, wellness activities, and scenic-area services need slower pacing, readable information, rest facilities, medical preparedness, and staff assistance to become usable and meaningful for elderly travelers.

To generate inclusive value, CTI should balance cultural value, ecological protection, local economic benefits, and social inclusion [17,29]. Accordingly, this study regards CTI as a resource-based antecedent of ASA, rather than treating it only as a direct driver of tourist satisfaction or destination performance. ASA further transforms cultural-tourism resources into positive silver tourist perceptions and high-quality silver tourism development.

2.3. Age-Friendly Service Adaptation

ASA refers to the systematic adjustment of tourism services and environments to the physiological, cognitive, and psychological needs of older tourists [16,23,24]. It includes barrier-free infrastructure, flexible scheduling, readable information, simplified digital interfaces, accessible emergency medical support, and trained staff who can provide patient and personalized assistance [16,33]. Prior studies have shown that age-friendly and accessible tourism services can improve older tourists’ perceived safety, willingness to travel, destination engagement, and overall experience quality [23,32].

However, existing research also suggests that age-friendly tourism cannot be achieved through either digital innovation or physical accessibility alone [34,35]. Even in smart tourism destinations, digital platforms and service systems may still fail to meet older adults’ accessibility needs if they are complex, difficult to trust, or poorly connected with offline support [23,27]. Similarly, cultural and wellness tourism resources may remain underused by older tourists if they are not supported by slower-paced itineraries, accessible interpretation, rest facilities, emergency assistance, and staff guidance [8,12,35,36]. Therefore, ASA functions as a service-conversion mechanism: it translates DE and CTI into services that older tourists can understand, trust, and use comfortably [32].

From a sustainability perspective, ASA is closely related to social inclusion and elderly well-being because accessible services can enhance older adults’ safety, confidence, participation, and experience quality [23,32,33]. In this study, ASA is therefore positioned as a key mediating mechanism linking digital and cultural resources to PST, rather than merely as an independent service attribute.

2.4. Perception of Silver Tourists and Tourism Experience

PST refers to older tourists’ subjective evaluations of tourism services and experiences, including perceived convenience, safety, accessibility, emotional fulfillment, dignity, health benefits, and overall experience quality [7,34,37]. In senior tourism research, experience quality, tour quality, satisfaction, and emotional value have been identified as important predictors of positive word-of-mouth, revisit intention, and destination loyalty [38,39]. Tourism experiences that respond to older adults’ needs with care and respect can also enhance mental health, vitality, autonomy, and social connectedness, which are important dimensions of well-being in later life [9,28,40].

However, prior studies often treat tourist perception mainly as an outcome of service quality or as a predictor of behavioral intention, such as satisfaction, loyalty, revisit intention, and word-of-mouth [38,39,41]. Less attention has been paid to its role as a subjective evaluation mechanism between ASA and broader tourism development outcomes. In silver tourism, this mechanism is particularly important because older tourists evaluate tourism experiences not only in terms of convenience or entertainment, but also in terms of safety, trust, dignity, emotional comfort, and health-related benefits [7,9]. Therefore, positive perceptions among silver tourists indicate whether age-friendly services are actually recognized, accepted, and experienced as valuable by older adults.

PST serves as a bridge between ASA and socially inclusive tourism outcomes. When older tourists perceive tourism services as safe, accessible, respectful, and beneficial to their well-being, they are more likely to participate continuously, revisit destinations, recommend tourism products, and support the long-term development of silver tourism [7,9,41]. Accordingly, this study positions PST as a subjective evaluation mechanism through which ASA is transformed into high-quality silver tourism development.

2.5. Family Support

In the Chinese cultural context, family plays a central role in elderly life and tourism-related decision-making, shaped by filial piety, intergenerational responsibility, and emotional attachment [19,42]. FS in silver tourism may include emotional encouragement, financial assistance, travel companionship, help with digital tools, route planning, and health-related care during travel [19]. Prior studies have shown that family involvement can enhance older adults’ emotional well-being, travel confidence, resilience, and willingness to participate in tourism activities [18,42,43].

However, existing studies have often discussed FS mainly as a direct source of emotional or practical assistance, while its role as an interpersonal boundary condition remains less developed [42,43]. In silver tourism, the same level of ASA may generate stronger positive perceptions when older tourists receive encouragement, companionship, digital assistance, or health-related support from family members [19]. Similarly, positive perceptions may be more easily translated into future participation, recommendation, and sustained tourism engagement when family members support elderly tourists’ travel decisions [44,45].

FS connects individual tourism experiences with intergenerational participation and social inclusion. It can reduce psychological and practical barriers to elderly tourism participation, strengthen older adults’ sense of security and dignity, and support their long-term engagement in tourism activities [18,24,46]. Therefore, this study regards FS as a micro-level interpersonal boundary condition that may strengthen the effects of ASA and PST on high-quality silver tourism development.

2.6. Policy Support

PS plays an important role in building inclusive and age-friendly tourism systems [20,33]. In silver tourism, PS may include travel subsidies, barrier-free infrastructure investment, digital literacy training, service standards, health–tourism integration, and cross-sector coordination [13,23,25]. These policy instruments can improve elderly tourists’ access to tourism technologies, enhance service quality, and promote more inclusive tourism experiences [13,20].

Nevertheless, existing studies have often examined PS as a general macro-level condition for tourism development, while paying less attention to how it shapes the effectiveness of DE, CTI, and ASA. In practice, digital and service innovations may not be equally effective across different policy environments. Without supportive policies, digital infrastructure may remain fragmented, service standards may be inconsistent, and age-friendly tourism services may be difficult to implement systematically [23,25]. Therefore, PS should not be understood only as an external background factor, but also as an institutional condition that determines whether digital and cultural resources can be effectively converted into age-friendly services.

PS provides the governance foundation for silver tourism development. Strong PS can promote digital inclusion, accessible infrastructure, public service coordination, and long-term institutional arrangements for age-friendly tourism systems [20,23,33]. Accordingly, this study regards PS as a macro-level institutional boundary condition that may strengthen the relationships among DE, CTI, ASA, and silver tourists’ perceptions.

2.7. High-Quality Development of Silver Tourism

HDST refers to the capacity of tourism systems to provide safe, accessible, meaningful, and sustainable tourism experiences for older adults while promoting the long-term sustainable development of destinations [47,48,49]. In aging societies, silver tourism should not be evaluated only by market expansion or tourist volume, but also by whether tourism services enhance elderly tourists’ well-being, participation, dignity, and quality of life [7,9,50]. This view is consistent with sustainable tourism research, which emphasizes inclusive development, quality of life, accessibility, and long-term social value rather than purely economic growth [24,51].

In this study, HDST is further examined from a tourist-market response perspective. Specifically, HDST is not only understood as a destination- or industry-level development goal, but also as the extent to which silver tourism development is positively perceived and evaluated by elderly tourists. From this demand-side perspective, elderly tourists’ perceived continuous service improvement, willingness to recommend, future participation intention, and perceived quality-of-life impact can serve as tourist-level perceptual and behavioral indicators of whether silver tourism development effectively meets the needs of its target users. Prior tourism studies have also shown that perceived service quality, behavioral intentions, recommendation willingness, revisit or future participation intention, and subjective well-being are important indicators for evaluating destination quality and tourism development effectiveness from the tourist perspective [52,53,54].

Existing studies suggest that digital technologies, cultural-tourism resources, age-friendly services, and multilevel support mechanisms can all contribute to silver tourism development. Digital technologies can improve service efficiency, information accessibility, tourism innovation, and high-quality tourism development [25,55]. CTI can enrich older tourists’ experiences through cultural identity, wellness value, nostalgia, and emotional resonance [17,28]. Age-friendly services can reduce participation barriers and improve perceived safety, comfort, accessibility, and engagement among older tourists [16,23,33]. Family and PS can further strengthen elderly tourists’ confidence, digital inclusion, intergenerational participation, and willingness to participate in tourism activities [18,20,43].

However, prior research has often examined these factors separately, making it difficult to explain how technological, cultural, service, perceptual, family, and policy factors jointly shape high-quality silver tourism development [25,51,55]. In particular, limited attention has been paid to the transformation pathway through which digital and cultural resources are converted into age-friendly services, positive tourist perceptions, and sustainable tourism outcomes. This limitation is important because high-quality silver tourism development depends not only on the provision of technologies, cultural products, or infrastructure, but also on whether older tourists perceive these services as accessible, trustworthy, meaningful, and beneficial to their well-being [7,9,38].

From a tourist-market response perspective, high-quality development is ultimately reflected in older tourists’ positive behavioral responses and experiential outcomes, such as willingness to revisit, recommendation intention, perceived continuous service improvement, and perceived enhancement of quality of life [7,38,41]. Therefore, this study conceptualizes HDST as an outcome of a sequential service–perception–development process. Specifically, DE and CTI provide resource inputs, ASA and PST serve as transformation mechanisms, and FS and PS function as boundary conditions that shape the effectiveness of this process.

3. Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses

3.1. Main Effects

DE and CTI are regarded as two core drivers of high-quality and sustainable silver tourism development. DE increases elderly tourists’ engagement when digital technologies are perceived as useful, easy to use, and trustworthy [10,12,16]. At the same time, CTI addresses older tourists’ desire for meaningful experiences that combine relaxation, emotional resonance, and cultural enrichment [56,57,58]. This integration not only enriches the tourism experience but also promotes the sustainability of tourism by preserving cultural heritage and fostering local economic growth.

Both DE and CTI are expected to enhance ASA, as accessible digital services and culturally enriched tourism experiences can encourage providers to redesign services around the needs, capabilities, and expectations of older tourists [12,16,56]. In this study, DE refers to tailored digital tools and platforms specifically designed for older tourists, including simplified user interfaces, accessible mobile applications, and integrated digital–physical service channels which improve information accessibility, service personalization, and timely assistance, facilitating age-friendly adaptations. While generic digital technologies may create barriers, our focus is on accessibility-focused DE [12,16]. CTI promotes ASA through responsive service design that considers older tourists’ needs for meaningful, emotionally resonant, and culturally enriching experiences, which may include flexible itineraries, trained staff, emergency preparedness, and accessible support arrangements [56,58,59]. ASA includes barrier-free facilities, patient and trained staff, accessible medical support, and appropriate digital services that bridge innovation and user-centered delivery for older tourists [16,60].

Improved ASA is further expected to shape PST, including feelings of safety, emotional comfort, dignity, and satisfaction [12,16]. In turn, PST contributes to loyalty, advocacy, and the long-term development of sustainable silver tourism [7,60].

The proposed hypotheses are as follows:

H1. 

DE positively influences ASA through enhanced information accessibility, service personalization, and timely assistance.

H2. 

CTI positively influences ASA via responsive service design, flexible itineraries, emergency preparedness, and trained staff.

H3. 

ASA positively influences PST by improving safety, emotional comfort, dignity, and satisfaction.

H4. 

PST positively influences HDST through loyalty, advocacy, and long-term engagement.

3.2. Mediation Effects

The effects of digital technologies and CTI on tourism outcomes are not automatic. Digital technologies can improve older tourists’ experiences only when they are accessible, useful, easy to use, and trustworthy [12,16]. Similarly, CTI generates positive perceptions when cultural resources are translated into meaningful engagement, emotional resonance, and service quality [56,58,59]. In this process, ASA functions as a key mediator by converting digital and cultural inputs into concrete service improvements that older tourists can directly perceive and use, such as barrier-free facilities, accessible digital services, trained staff, flexible arrangements, and medical or emergency support [16,60,61].

PST further acts as a cognitive-affective filter through which age-friendly service quality is transformed into well-being, satisfaction, loyalty, and tourism engagement. When older tourists perceive services as safe, convenient, respectful, and emotionally reassuring, they are more likely to develop positive evaluations of the travel experience and report enhanced quality of life [7,59]. Positive tourist perceptions can also encourage revisit intention, word-of-mouth, and destination loyalty, thereby supporting the long-term and high-quality development of silver tourism [52,54,60,62]. Therefore, ASA explains how DE and CTI are translated into positive tourist perceptions, while PST explains how age-friendly services are further transformed into broader developmental outcomes.

Thus, the following mediation hypotheses are proposed:

H5. 

ASA mediates the relationship between DE and PST.

H6. 

ASA mediates the relationship between CTI and PST.

H7. 

PST mediates the relationship between ASA and HDST.

3.3. Moderation Effects

Given the contextual complexity of elderly tourism in China, FS and PS are introduced as moderators. In the Chinese context, adult children and other family members often play an important role in senior tourists’ travel decision-making and travel support, particularly through companionship, caring support, attitudinal support, timing support, and practical assistance [63]. However, adult children may also face practical, emotional, and time-related barriers when supporting their elderly parents’ travel, suggesting that FS is not merely a background condition but an important factor shaping whether older tourists can participate in and benefit from tourism activities [64].

FS may strengthen the relationship between ASA and PST. Age-friendly services, such as accessible facilities, digital support, flexible arrangements, and emergency assistance, may be more effectively perceived and used when older tourists receive support from family members, as older tourists’ travel experiences are often shaped by their physical conditions, perceived barriers, emotional responses, and ability to access service information [7,59]. Family members can provide companionship, caring support, practical assistance, and digital support for senior tourists, helping them to understand service information, use digital platforms, manage health-related concerns, and cope with unexpected travel situations [63]. Social support during travel can also enhance communication, relationship quality, and shared travel experiences among companions [65]. Therefore, FS can amplify the positive effect of ASA on PST by providing companionship, digital assistance, emotional reassurance, and risk reduction, thereby enhancing older tourists’ perceived safety, comfort, dignity, and satisfaction.

FS may also strengthen the relationship between PST and HDST. Positive perceptions among older tourists may be more likely to translate into loyalty, advocacy, revisit intention, and sustained travel participation when family members encourage continued travel, assist with travel planning, and support online sharing or recommendations. Prior research shows that tourism experiences can enhance elderly tourists’ quality of life and revisit intention [7], while family and social support can improve older tourists’ travel confidence, emotional well-being, and shared travel experiences [63,65]. Therefore, FS may facilitate the transformation of positive tourist perceptions into behavioral outcomes that support sustainable HDST.

At the macro level, PS creates an enabling institutional environment for inclusive and sustainable tourism by promoting accessibility, digital inclusion, and age-friendly governance [23,33,66]. PS may strengthen the relationship between DE and ASA because accessible digital services for older tourists require more than the mere availability of digital technologies. Older tourists’ acceptance of digital tourism services depends on perceived usefulness, ease of use, trust, and accessibility [12]. Accessible digital tourism platforms also require simplified interfaces, reliable information, and age-sensitive design to meet older adults’ needs [16]. Moreover, older tourists’ use of digital tourism tools is influenced by their digital literacy, age, education level, disability status, and familiarity with technologies such as the Internet and QR codes [67]. Therefore, subsidies for digital transformation, digital literacy training, accessible digital infrastructure, and standards for age-friendly e-services may help tourism providers convert DE into ASA.

PS may also strengthen the relationship between CTI and ASA. CTI can generate meaningful and memorable tourism experiences, but such outcomes depend on engagement, cultural contact, service quality, and the ability of providers to translate cultural resources into visitor-centered experiences [56,62]. For senior tourists, memorable tourism experiences are further shaped by embodied needs, sensory enjoyment, emotional experiences, perceived barriers, and perceived control [59]. Therefore, PS through infrastructure investment, industry standards, staff training, emergency preparedness, and coordination among tourism, culture, transportation, and health departments may help transform CTI into more age-sensitive service adaptation.

Finally, PS may strengthen the relationship between ASA and PST by improving the consistency, reliability, and credibility of age-friendly services. Age-friendly facilities in tourist attractions are important for meeting elderly visitors’ needs and improving destination service quality [61]. Even when tourism services have been adapted to older adults’ needs, elderly tourists’ psychological perceptions may still depend on whether these services are supported by clear standards, accessible infrastructure, emergency-response arrangements, digital inclusion measures, effective supervision, and interdepartmental coordination [13,20,23]. PS can provide institutional assurance for adapted services, thereby reducing uncertainty, stabilizing service expectations, and increasing older tourists’ confidence in the safety, trustworthiness, and responsiveness of tourism services. When age-friendly facilities, accessible digital services, emergency systems, and medical support are backed by policies and standards, older tourists are more likely to perceive these services as reliable, respectful, and genuinely responsive to their needs [16,23,32]. Therefore, stronger PS is expected to amplify the positive effect of ASA on PST.

Accordingly, the following moderation hypotheses are proposed:

H8. 

FS positively moderates the relationship between ASA and PST, such that the relationship is stronger when FS is higher.

H9. 

FS positively moderates the relationship between PST and HDST, such that the relationship is stronger when FS is higher.

H10. 

PS positively moderates the relationship between DE and ASA, such that the relationship is stronger when PS is higher.

H11. 

PS positively moderates the relationship between CTI and ASA, such that the relationship is stronger when PS is higher.

H12. 

PS positively moderates the relationship between ASA and PST, such that the relationship is stronger when PS is higher.

4. Data and Methodology

4.1. Research Design

This study examines the impact of DE on the high-quality and sustainable development of silver tourism in Hubei Province, China, with a focus on tourists aged 55 and above. A quantitative research design was employed because the study aims to test theoretically derived relationships among multiple latent constructs and to examine direct, mediating, and moderating effects within an integrated framework. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was considered appropriate because it allows simultaneous estimation of complex relationships among DE, CTI, ASA, PST, FS, PS, and HDST while accounting for measurement error.

The hypothesized framework reflects a multidimensional value transformation chain linking technological and cultural drivers to service adaptation, tourist perceptions, and high-quality tourism outcomes (Figure 2). This approach is consistent with the objective of explaining not only whether DE influences silver tourism development, but also how this influence is transmitted through service and perceptual mechanisms and under what contextual conditions it becomes stronger or weaker.

4.2. Measurement Instrument

A structured questionnaire was developed based on validated scales and adapted to the context of silver tourism. All items were measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”). The instrument covered seven latent constructs: DE, CTI, ASA, PST, FS, PS, and HDST, with four items for each construct. To provide transparency and facilitate replication, all measurement items, their corresponding constructs, and source references are summarized in

Table 1. Measurement items.

Constructs	Code	Items	Reference
DE	DE1	1. Convenience in finding smart guides and emergency assistance tools.	Yang and Albattat [10], Costa et al. [16]
	DE2	2. Ease of use of online reservation and payment systems.
	DE3	3. Availability of health monitoring devices in tourism settings.
	DE4	4. Stability of network connectivity in tourism areas.
CTI	CTI1	1. Tourism products meet wellness and cultural experience needs.	Liu [17], Moniz et al. [28]
	CTI2	2. Smooth integration among scenic spots, hotels, and medical facilities.
	CTI3	3. Consistency between online and offline service information.
	CTI4	4. Age-friendly design in cultural tourism landscapes.
ASA	ASA1	1. Flexibility in adjusting travel schedules (e.g., breaks).	Fernández-Díaz et al. [23], Alén, Domínguez, and Losada [32]
	ASA2	2. Availability of emergency facilities (e.g., AEDs).
	ASA3	3. Cultural activities tailored to elderly abilities.
	ASA4	4. Service staff’s patience and consideration for elderly needs.
PST	PST1	1. Convenience in using tourism facilities.	Alén, Losada, and Domínguez [39], Gonçalves et al. [40]
	PST2	2. Adequacy of safety measures during tourism activities.
	PST3	3. Perceived mental/health benefits from tourism.
	PST4	4. Alignment of experiences with expectations.
FS	FS1	1. Family participation in tourism activities.	Wang et al. [19], Pan, Wang, and Ryan [43]
	FS2	2. Willingness of family to provide financial support.
	FS3	3. Family assistance in planning routes and services.
	FS4	4. Family cooperation in healthcare during tourism.
PS	PS1	1. Awareness of elderly tourism subsidies and policies.	Li et al. [13], Sukortprommee et al. [20]
	PS2	2. Adequacy of investment in age-friendly infrastructure.
	PS3	3. Clarity of industry standards for elderly tourism.
	PS4	4. Interdepartmental coordination in elderly tourism services.
HDST	HDST1	1. Willingness to recommend tourism products to other elderly people.	Yu et al. [25], Wang [55]; Baker and Crompton [54]; Zeng and Li [52]; Su, Swanson, and Chen [53]
	HDST2	2. Intention to participate in future tourism activities.
	HDST3	3. Perceived continuous improvements in tourism products/services.
	HDST4	4. Perceived positive impact on elderly quality of life.

.

For HDST, the measurement items were designed to capture high-quality development from a tourist-market response perspective. Specifically, recommendation willingness, future participation intention, perceived continuous service improvement, and perceived quality-of-life impact were used as tourist-level perceptual and behavioral indicators of the perceived effectiveness of silver tourism development. This measurement logic is consistent with prior tourism studies that use perceived quality, behavioral intentions, revisit or recommendation intention, and well-being outcomes to evaluate destination quality and tourism development effectiveness [52,53,54].

To ensure content validity, the initial measurement items were adapted from prior studies, including Costa et al. [16], Liu [17] and Wang et al. [19], and were then reviewed by experts in tourism management and elderly services. The wording of the items was adjusted to reflect the silver tourism context in Hubei Province while retaining the theoretical meaning of the original scales.

Considering the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of older respondents, the questionnaire was further refined to improve readability and comprehensibility. Technical terms were simplified, long sentences were shortened, and concrete examples were added where necessary. For example, in the items related to DE, examples such as online booking, digital navigation, emergency assistance tools, and health monitoring devices were provided to help respondents understand the digital tourism services being evaluated.

A pilot test involving 34 older participants was conducted in November 2025 before the formal survey. The formal questionnaire survey was subsequently conducted and completed in December 2025. Both the pilot and formal questionnaires were administered through the Wenjuanxing survey platform. Based on feedback from the pilot participants and fieldworkers, minor wording adjustments were made to improve clarity, readability, and age-friendliness. Technical expressions were simplified and supplemented with familiar examples where necessary, and the wording of the open-ended question was refined to make it easier for respondents to provide concrete suggestions. These revisions were limited to wording and presentation rather than substantive changes to the constructs. No latent construct was removed or added, and the core meanings of the measurement items remained consistent with the theoretical framework and prior validated measures.

4.3. Sampling and Data Collection

The sampling frame consisted of individuals aged 55 and above in Hubei Province who had participated in tourism activities related to cultural heritage, wellness, scenic visits, exhibitions, or cultural experiences within the past two years. The 55-year cutoff was adopted because age 55 and above has been commonly used in senior tourism research to define senior tourist samples [39]. This threshold is also appropriate for the present study because it allows us to capture both pre-elderly and elderly participants who are gradually becoming important consumer groups in China’s silver tourism market. Compared with the legal definition based on the age of 60, this cutoff enables the study to include individuals approaching retirement as well as older adults participating in tourism and leisure activities related to the silver tourism market.

To improve sample coverage, a stratified sampling strategy was adopted to include respondents from both urban and rural areas. As reported in

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of respondents.

Variable	Category	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	203	28.92
	Female	499	71.08
Age	55–60	244	34.76
	61–65	193	27.49
	66–70	138	19.66
	71–75	89	12.68
	≥76	38	5.41
Education	Primary school or below	174	24.79
	Middle school	286	40.74
	High school/Technical secondary school	178	25.36
	College (Associate degree)	45	6.41
	Bachelor’s degree and above	19	2.71
Monthly Income	≤3000 yuan	147	20.94
	3001–5000 yuan	284	40.46
	5001–8000 yuan	171	24.36
	>8000 yuan	36	5.13
	Prefer not to disclose	64	9.12
Residence Area	Wuhan City	153	21.79
	Other Prefecture-level cities	261	37.18
	County-level cities	170	24.22
	Townships	82	11.68
	Rural areas	36	5.13
Travel Frequency	Once	310	44.16
	2–3 times	342	48.72
	4–6 times	37	5.27
	More than 6 times	13	1.85
Health Status	Good	231	32.91
	Average	361	51.42
	Poor	110	15.67
Living Status	Living alone	73	10.4
	Living with family	629	89.6

, the final sample covered respondents from Wuhan City, other prefecture-level cities, county-level cities/counties, townships, and rural areas in Hubei Province. Respondents were recruited through multiple channels, including scenic and cultural tourism sites, community service centers, senior universities, travel agencies, and online community or tourism-related WeChat groups.

Data collection was conducted with the assistance of a professional survey company commissioned by the research team. The research team was responsible for designing the questionnaire, defining respondent eligibility criteria, specifying sampling requirements, and establishing quality-control procedures. The survey company assisted with questionnaire distribution and field implementation under these instructions.

Before the formal survey, the research team provided the company with the respondent eligibility criteria, questionnaire instructions, sampling requirements, and quality-control procedures. The questionnaire was administered through the Wenjuanxing survey platform. Most respondents completed the questionnaire independently through the online survey link. For a small number of respondents with limited digital literacy or difficulties in operating smartphones, trained fieldworkers from the survey company or family members provided only procedural assistance, such as opening the questionnaire link, reading questions aloud, explaining the response format, or helping select the respondent’s chosen option on the device. Assistants were not permitted to interpret the meaning of items, suggest answers, or complete the questionnaire on behalf of the respondents. Therefore, although all responses were recorded through the Wenjuanxing platform, the survey included mainly self-administered online responses and a small proportion of assisted online responses.

The first part of the questionnaire included screening questions on residence area, prior cultural-tourism participation, and experience using smart or digital tools in cultural-tourism activities. Respondents were eligible if they were Hubei residents aged 55 or above, had relevant cultural-tourism experience within the past two years, and had personally used or attempted to use smart tourism tools, such as online ticket reservation, smart scenic-area navigation, intelligent customer service, facial-recognition entry, digital payment, or tourism information platforms. Respondents who reported no experience using smart tools were directed to the final open-ended suggestion section and were not included in the core-scale analysis, because they could not meaningfully evaluate the items related to DE.

Prior exposure to digital tourism services did not necessarily require independent operation by older participants. Some respondents accessed digital tourism functions with assistance from family members, travel companions, tourism staff, or community volunteers. This minimum-experience criterion was adopted to ensure that respondents had sufficient exposure to digital tourism services to evaluate the DE-related items. Nevertheless, this design may underrepresent older adults with no prior digital tourism experience, which is acknowledged as a limitation of this study.

During questionnaire distribution, elderly female participants generally demonstrated relatively higher willingness to participate in tourism-related survey activities, which may have contributed to the gender composition of the final sample. This issue is also acknowledged as a potential sample limitation.

The main survey was conducted in December 2025. A total of 835 completed questionnaires were collected, of which 702 were retained after data screening. Invalid questionnaires were excluded if they showed age or residence mismatch, no relevant cultural-tourism experience, no valid digital-tool-use experience for the core-scale section, incomplete responses, obvious patterned answers, logical inconsistencies, unrealistically short completion time, or suspected proxy completion. The final sample consisted of 702 valid responses, yielding an effective response rate of 84.1%. This sample size exceeded the recommended minimum for conducting SEM analysis and ensured sufficient statistical power and model stability.

4.4. Data Analysis Techniques

Data analysis proceeded in two stages. First, descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic characteristics of respondents and the distributions of key constructs. The measurement model was evaluated following the PLS-SEM guidelines proposed by Hair et al. [68], focusing on internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Analyses were conducted using SmartPLS version 4.1.1.4. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, rho_A, and composite reliability rho_C. Convergent validity was evaluated using outer loadings and average variance extracted (AVE). Discriminant validity was examined using the Fornell–Larcker criterion and heterotrait–monotrait (HTMT) ratios. Harman’s single-factor test and full collinearity diagnostics were applied to assess potential common method bias, and the corresponding results are reported in the structural model assessment section.

Second, structural equation modeling was conducted using SmartPLS 4.1.1.4 [69] to evaluate the structural model, including direct effects, mediating effects, moderating effects, and explanatory power. All constructs were modeled as reflective. Mediating effects were assessed through indirect effects, and moderating effects were tested using interaction terms generated in SmartPLS, with significance evaluated through bootstrapping with 5000 resamples at a threshold of p < 0.05. PLS-SEM was chosen because it is suitable for prediction-oriented research, complex models with multiple latent constructs, and data that do not necessarily meet multivariate normality assumptions.

To further address potential sample heterogeneity, this study conducted multi-group analyses (MGA) as a robustness check. Specifically, respondents were divided into subgroups according to age, residence area, and health status, which are particularly relevant demographic and health-related characteristics in the context of silver tourism. The age groups were divided into respondents aged 55–60 and those aged 61 and above; residence area was divided into urban and rural groups; and health status was divided into good health and average/poor health groups. MGA was used to examine whether the proposed structural paths remained stable across these subgroups. This approach allowed us to assess the robustness of the theoretical model while preserving model parsimony and avoiding excessive model complexity.

5. Results

This section presents the empirical results of the study. Using PLS-SEM, both the measurement and structural models were evaluated.

5.1. Descriptive Statistics

5.1.1. Demographic Profile of the Respondents

Table 2 summarizes the demographic characteristics of the 702 valid respondents. The sample was predominantly female (71.08%), with the largest proportion aged 55–60 years (34.76%). The relatively high proportion of female respondents may partly reflect participation tendencies in China’s silver tourism market, where older women often show relatively higher engagement in tourism and leisure activities. In terms of education, most respondents had completed middle school (40.74%), and 40.46% reported a monthly income between 3001 and 5000 RMB. A considerable proportion resided in urban areas (37.18%) and reported average health status (51.42%). Regarding travel frequency, 48.72% traveled 2–3 times per year, while 44.16% traveled once annually.

The achieved residence-area distribution reported in Table 2 reflects the intended broad coverage of both urban and rural respondents in Hubei Province. Although the sample was not designed to exactly reproduce the official population structure of Hubei Province, it includes respondents from different types of residential areas, thereby improving the contextual diversity of the sample.

Overall, these characteristics provide an informative profile of elderly tourists in the study area and offer contextual support for interpreting subsequent empirical results.

5.1.2. Descriptive Analysis of Key Constructs

Table 3. Descriptive statistics of key constructs.

Variable	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Standard Deviation
DE	1	5	3.053	1.069
CTI	1	5	3.017	0.978
ASA	1	5	3.029	0.972
PST	1	5	3.011	0.992
FS	1	5	3.115	1.014
PS	1	5	3.178	0.991
HDST	1	5	3.037	0.968

presents the descriptive statistics of the key constructs measured on a five-point Likert scale. Among the constructs, PS reported the highest mean value (M = 3.178), followed by FS (M = 3.115). In contrast, DE showed the lowest mean score (M = 3.053), indicating relatively lower perceptions in digital service provision.

The standard deviations ranged from 0.968 to 1.069, indicating a moderate level of variability across responses. These results suggest a relatively balanced distribution of responses without significant dispersion.

5.1.3. Normality Tests for SEM Assumptions

Normality diagnostics were conducted to assess the distribution of the data. As shown in

Table 4. Normality assessment of variables.

Descriptive Statistics	DE	CTI	ASA	PST	FS	PS	HDST
Variance	1.144	0.957	0.945	0.984	1.029	0.983	0.937
Q1	2.000	2.250	2.250	2.000	2.250	2.250	2.250
Median	3.000	3.000	3.000	3.000	3.250	3.250	3.000
Q3	4.000	4.000	3.813	4.000	4.000	4.000	3.750
Standard Error	0.040	0.037	0.037	0.037	0.038	0.037	0.037
Mean 95% CI (Lower Limit)	2.974	2.944	2.957	2.938	3.040	3.105	2.965
Mean 95% CI (Upper Limit)	3.132	3.089	3.101	3.084	3.190	3.252	3.109
IQR	2.000	1.750	1.563	2.000	1.750	1.750	1.50
Kurtosis	−1.321	−1.190	−1.113	−1.239	−1.191	−1.173	−1.145
Skewness	0.006	−0.002	0.033	0.042	−0.097	−0.165	0.046

, skewness and kurtosis values for all constructs fell within acceptable ranges, indicating no serious deviation from normality. Although PLS-SEM does not require strict normality assumptions, these results support the suitability of the data for subsequent analysis.

5.2. Measurement Model Assessment

5.2.1. Reliability Analysis

The internal consistency of the constructs was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, rho_A, and composite reliability (rho_C). As shown in

Table 5. Reliability results of constructs.

	Cronbach’s Alpha	Composite Reliability (rho_A)	Composite Reliability (rho_C)
FS	0.833	0.834	0.889
PS	0.828	0.829	0.886
DE	0.852	0.876	0.900
CTI	0.812	0.819	0.876
ASA	0.819	0.819	0.881
HDST	0.809	0.811	0.875
PST	0.823	0.824	0.883

, all values exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.70 [70], indicating satisfactory reliability.

Among the constructs, DE demonstrated the highest reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.852; rho_C = 0.900), followed by FS and PST. Overall, the results confirm that all constructs exhibit adequate internal consistency.

5.2.2. Convergent Validity

Convergent validity and internal consistency reliability were assessed using standardized factor loadings, Cronbach’s alpha, rho_A, composite reliability rho_C, and average variance extracted AVE, following established PLS-SEM guidelines [68,71]. All standardized outer loadings exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.70, ranging from 0.775 to 0.912, indicating satisfactory indicator reliability. As shown in

Table 6. Reliability and convergent validity assessment results.

Construct	Cronbach’s Alpha	rho_A	rho_C	AVE
ASA	0.819	0.819	0.881	0.649
CTI	0.812	0.819	0.876	0.638
DE	0.852	0.876	0.900	0.694
FS	0.833	0.834	0.889	0.666
HDST	0.809	0.811	0.875	0.636
PS	0.828	0.829	0.886	0.659
PST	0.823	0.824	0.883	0.653

, all Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.809 to 0.852, all rho_A values ranged from 0.811 to 0.876, and all rho_C values ranged from 0.875 to 0.900, exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.70. These results indicate good internal consistency reliability. In addition, the AVE values ranged from 0.636 to 0.694, exceeding the minimum criterion of 0.50, confirming satisfactory convergent validity.

5.2.3. Discriminant Validity

Discriminant validity was assessed using the Fornell–Larcker criterion and HTMT ratios. As shown in

Table 7. Fornell–Larcker criterion results.

	ASA	CTI	DE	FS	HDST	PS	PST
ASA	0.805
CTI	0.538	0.799
DE	0.550	0.583	0.833
FS	0.534	0.456	0.496	0.816
HDST	0.514	0.531	0.619	0.428	0.797
PS	0.473	0.504	0.543	0.480	0.535	0.812
PST	0.495	0.514	0.561	0.412	0.470	0.456	0.808

Note: Diagonal values represent the square roots of AVE; off-diagonal values represent inter-construct correlations.

, the square roots of the AVE values, shown on the diagonal, were higher than the corresponding inter-construct correlations, satisfying the Fornell–Larcker criterion. In addition, the HTMT values among the seven core constructs ranged from 0.498 to 0.737, all below the recommended threshold of 0.85. These results indicate that each construct is empirically distinct from the others, thereby confirming adequate discriminant validity.

5.3. Structural Model Analysis

5.3.1. Collinearity Assessment

Collinearity and common method bias were assessed using the variance inflation factor (VIF) and Harman’s single-factor test. The first unrotated factor in Harman’s single-factor test explained 18.7% of the total variance, below the recommended threshold of 50%. As shown in

Table 8. Collinearity statistics of the structural model.

Construct	VIF
ASA	1.575
CTI	1.729
DE	1.810
FS	1.269–1.898
HDST	–
PS	1.766–1.909
PST	1.221
FS × PST	1.054
PS × DE	1.458
PS × CTI	1.396
PS × ASA	1.505
FS × ASA	1.422

, all VIF values in the structural model ranged from 1.054 to 1.909, well below the threshold of 3.3, suggesting that multicollinearity is low and potential common method bias is unlikely to affect the study results. These findings demonstrate that common method bias is not likely to compromise the validity of the study results.

5.3.2. Structural Path Coefficient Analysis

To test the proposed hypotheses, the structural relationships among latent constructs were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The Pearson correlation results (

Table 9. Results of correlation analysis.

	DE	CTI	ASA	PST	FS	PS	HDST
DE	1
CTI	0.579 **	1
ASA	0.546 **	0.533 **	1
PST	0.557 **	0.512 **	0.494 **	1
FS	0.494 **	0.453 **	0.535 **	0.412 **	1
PS	0.540 **	0.504 **	0.473 **	0.456 **	0.478 **	1
HDST	0.616 **	0.531 **	0.513 **	0.467 **	0.426 **	0.533 **	1

Note: ** p < 0.01, indicating the statistical significance of the correlations between variables at different levels.

) indicate significant positive associations among the key constructs, providing preliminary support for further structural model analysis.

However, correlation analysis does not capture causal relationships or mediation and moderation effects. Therefore, the structural model was estimated using SmartPLS 4.1.1.4, with bootstrapping (5000 resamples) applied to assess the significance of the path coefficients. The results of hypothesis testing, including direct, indirect, and moderating effects, are reported in the following sections based on standardized path coefficients (β), t-values, and p-values. In addition, the explanatory power of the model was evaluated using the R² values of key endogenous constructs.

5.3.3. Hypothesis Testing and Structural Path Coefficient Analysis

The structural model was analyzed using SmartPLS 4.1.1.4. Standardized path coefficients (β) were estimated, and bootstrapping with 5000 resamples was applied to assess the significance of each path. The results are presented in Figure 3, which illustrates the direction and strength of the relationships among the constructs.

The results indicate that DE has a positive and moderate effect on ASA (β = 0.255). This suggests that elderly tourists who perceive digital tourism services as more accessible, convenient, and supportive are more likely to evaluate tourism services as age-friendly. In the context of Hubei silver tourism, this finding indicates that digital tools such as online reservation, smart guidance, emergency assistance, and health-related digital services can contribute to ASA, but their influence is moderate rather than overwhelming. Therefore, DE should be understood as one important enabling condition, rather than the sole driver of age-friendly service improvement.

CTI also shows a moderate positive effect on ASA (β = 0.264), indicating that the integration of cultural resources, wellness experiences, scenic services, and supporting facilities helps tourism providers better adapt services to older tourists’ needs. The effect of ASA on PST is also moderate (β = 0.278), suggesting that age-friendly arrangements such as flexible schedules, emergency facilities, elderly-oriented cultural activities, and patient service staff can meaningfully improve older tourists’ perceived safety, convenience, and emotional comfort. Among the direct effects, PST has the relatively strongest effect on HDST (β = 0.333), indicating that older tourists’ positive perceptions are central to demand-side high-quality development outcomes, including recommendation willingness, future participation intention, perceived service improvement, and quality-of-life enhancement.

These findings support the proposed sequential relationships among DE, CTI, ASA, PST, and HDST. However, the magnitude of the coefficients indicates that these relationships should be interpreted as moderate rather than strong. This suggests that DE and CTI can promote high-quality silver tourism development through the service–perception pathway, but their effects depend on the broader service, family, and policy environment.

Regarding moderating effects, the interaction terms are generally weaker than the main effects and should therefore be interpreted cautiously. In particular, the moderating effect of PS on the relationship between DE and ASA is weak but statistically significant (PS × DE → ASA: β = 0.085, p = 0.041). This indicates that PS slightly strengthens the positive association between DE and ASA, but the practical magnitude of this moderating effect is limited. Similarly, the moderating effects of FS × ASA → PST (β = 0.096) and PS × ASA → PST (β = 0.107) are modest, suggesting that family and PS function as supportive boundary conditions rather than dominant explanatory factors. These moderating paths are further examined through the simple slope analysis.

Overall, the results provide empirical support for the hypothesized model, particularly the sequential mechanism linking digital and cultural drivers to tourism outcomes. At the same time, the moderate and modest effect sizes suggest that the findings should be interpreted in terms of substantive contribution rather than statistical significance alone.

5.3.4. Coefficient of Determination (R²) Analysis

The coefficient of determination (R²) indicates the proportion of variance in endogenous constructs explained by their predictors. According to Chin [72], R² values of 0.19, 0.33, and 0.67 can be considered weak, moderate, and substantial, respectively.

As shown in

Table 10. Coefficient of determination (R²).

	R-Squared	Adjusted R-Squared
ASA	0.422	0.418
HDST	0.313	0.310
PST	0.343	0.338

, the R² values indicate moderate explanatory power of the model. Specifically, ASA has an R² value of 0.422, indicating that 42.2% of its variance is explained by DE, CTI, and PS. PST has an R² value of 0.343, while HDST shows an R² value of 0.313. These results suggest that the model explains a meaningful proportion of variance in the key endogenous constructs.

5.3.5. Path Coefficient and Hypothesis Testing

Hypothesis testing was conducted using bootstrapping with 5000 resamples in SmartPLS. The results presented in

Table 11. Results of direct and interaction effects.

Effect Type	Path	Path Coefficient	Mean	Standard Deviation	T-Value	p-Value
Direct effects	DE → ASA	0.255	0.255	0.042	6.016	<0.001
	CTI → ASA	0.264	0.267	0.042	6.352	<0.001
	ASA → PST	0.278	0.277	0.043	6.432	<0.001
	PST -→ HDST	0.333	0.333	0.042	7.870	0.000
Interaction effects	FS × ASA → PST	0.096	0.094	0.040	2.418	0.016
	FS × PST → HDST	0.166	0.164	0.037	4.490	<0.001
	PS × DE → ASA	0.085	0.083	0.041	2.045	0.041
	PS × CTI → ASA	0.130	0.129	0.038	3.395	0.001
	PS × ASA → PST	0.107	0.105	0.042	2.541	0.011

show that all hypothesized direct effects are statistically significant. Specifically, DE (β = 0.255, p < 0.001) and CTI (β = 0.264, p < 0.001) have significant positive effects on ASA. In turn, ASA significantly influences PST (β = 0.278, p < 0.001), which further affects HDST (β = 0.333, p < 0.001).

Bootstrapping with 5000 resamples was conducted in SmartPLS to test the hypothesized relationships. As shown in Table 11, the direct effects are statistically significant and positive. Specifically, DE has a positive effect on ASA, with a moderate path coefficient (DE → ASA: β = 0.255, t = 6.016, p < 0.001). This suggests that improvements in DE are associated with better adaptation of age-friendly services, although the magnitude of this effect is moderate rather than strong.

Similarly, CTI positively affects ASA, also with a moderate effect size (CTI → ASA: β = 0.264, t = 6.352, p < 0.001). This indicates that integrating cultural and tourism resources can contribute to the development of more age-friendly tourism services. ASA further has a positive and moderate effect on PST (ASA → PST: β = 0.278, t = 6.432, p < 0.001), suggesting that service adaptation plays an important role in shaping silver tourists’ perceptions. In addition, PST has the relatively strongest direct effect among the tested direct paths on HDST (PST → HDST: β = 0.333, t = 7.870, p < 0.001). This result indicates that improving tourists’ perceived experience is an important pathway for promoting HDST.

The moderating effects were examined using interaction terms, which are reported separately from the direct effects in Table 11. The results show that FS positively moderates the relationship between ASA and PST (FS × ASA → PST: β = 0.096, t = 2.418, p = 0.016). Although statistically significant, the effect size is relatively small, suggesting that FS slightly enhances the influence of ASA on tourists’ perceptions. FS also positively moderates the relationship between PST and HDST (FS × PST → HDST: β = 0.166, t = 4.490, p < 0.001), indicating a comparatively stronger moderating role in this relationship.

PS also shows significant moderating effects. Specifically, the interaction between PS and DE is positive and statistically significant but weak in magnitude (PS × DE → ASA: β = 0.085, t = 2.045, p = 0.041). This finding should therefore be interpreted cautiously: PS may slightly strengthen the relationship between DE and ASA, but the practical magnitude of this moderating effect is limited. In addition, PS positively moderates the relationship between CTI and ASA (PS × CTI → ASA: β = 0.130, t = 3.395, p = 0.001), as well as the relationship between ASA and PST (PS × ASA → PST: β = 0.107, t = 2.541, p = 0.011). These results suggest that PS can enhance the transformation of CTI and ASA into more favorable outcomes, although the magnitude of these interaction effects remains modest.

Overall, the results provide empirical support for the proposed hypotheses. More importantly, the findings indicate that the significant relationships identified in the model are generally moderate or modest in magnitude, suggesting that the development of silver tourism is influenced by multiple interacting factors rather than by any single dominant factor.

5.3.6. Simple Slope Analysis of Moderating Effects

To further interpret the moderating effects, simple slope analyses were conducted by plotting the focal relationships at high and low levels of the moderators, defined as one standard deviation above and below the mean. As shown in Figure 4, the plots illustrate how the focal relationships vary under different levels of FS and PS.

Figure 4a,b present the moderating effects of FS. In Figure 4a, the relationship between ASA and PST is stronger when FS is high than when it is low. However, the slope difference is relatively small, which is consistent with the modest interaction coefficient reported in Table 11. Therefore, this moderating effect should be interpreted as significant but weak in practical magnitude. Figure 4b shows a more visible slope difference, indicating that FS plays a comparatively stronger moderating role in the relationship between PST and HDST.

Figure 4c–e show the moderating effects of PS. As shown in Figure 4c, the relationship between DE and ASA is only slightly stronger under high PS. This is consistent with the weak interaction effect of PS × DE → ASA reported in Table 11, suggesting that this moderating effect should be interpreted cautiously. Figure 4d,e further show that PS strengthens the relationships between CTI and ASA, and between ASA and PST. Nevertheless, the slope differences remain modest, indicating that PS functions as a facilitating condition rather than a strong determinant.

5.3.7. Mediation Effect Analysis

Mediation analysis was conducted using bootstrapping with 5000 resamples to examine the indirect effects among the key constructs. As shown in

Table 12. Mediation analysis results.

Path	Path Coefficient	Mean	Standard Deviation	T-Value	p-Value
ASA → PST → HDST	0.092	0.093	0.021	4.396	p < 0.001
DE → ASA → PST	0.071	0.071	0.018	3.961	p < 0.001
CTI → ASA → PST	0.073	0.074	0.018	4.168	p < 0.001
DE → ASA → PST → HDST	0.024	0.024	0.007	3.352	0.001
CTI → ASA → PST → HDST	0.024	0.025	0.007	3.339	0.001

, all hypothesized indirect effects are statistically significant, though their magnitudes are generally small to modest, indicating that the mediation mechanisms exist but should be interpreted with caution.

Specifically, ASA mediates the relationships between DE and PST (DE → ASA → PST: β = 0.071, t = 3.961, p < 0.001) and between CTI and PST (CTI → ASA → PST: β = 0.073, t = 4.168, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that DE and CTI improve tourists’ perceptions partly through ASA.

In addition, PST mediates the effect of ASA on HDST (ASA → PST → HDST: β = 0.092, t = 4.396, p < 0.001), highlighting the role of tourist perception in translating service adaptation into development outcomes.

Sequential mediation effects were also observed. DE influences HDST through ASA and tourist perception (DE → ASA → PST → HDST: β = 0.024, t = 3.352, p = 0.001), and a similar sequential effect is found for CTI (CTI → ASA → PST → HDST: β = 0.024, t = 3.339, p = 0.001). Although statistically significant, these sequential indirect effects are relatively small, suggesting that HDST is influenced by multiple intermediate mechanisms rather than a single dominant pathway.

5.3.8. Robustness Check: Multi-Group Analysis

To examine whether the proposed structural relationships were stable across different types of older tourists, this study conducted multi-group analyses based on age group, residence area, and health status. The results indicate that most path differences were statistically insignificant across the three subgroup comparisons, suggesting that the proposed model is generally robust to sample heterogeneity.

For the age-based comparison, significant group differences were found for the paths from PS to ASA perception-related mechanisms. Specifically, the differences for PS → ASA and PS × DE → ASA were statistically significant, indicating that the effects of PS and its interaction with DE may vary between respondents aged 55–60 and those aged 61 and above.

For the urban–rural comparison, significant group differences were found for FS × PST → HDST and PST → HDST. This suggests that the influence of PST on HDST, as well as the moderating role of FS, may differ between urban and rural older tourists. By contrast, no significant path differences were found across health-status groups, indicating that the proposed model is stable across respondents with good health and those with average or poor health.

Overall, the MGA results provide additional evidence that the core theoretical relationships proposed in this study are generally stable across key demographic and health-related subgroups, although several paths vary according to age and residence area.

6. Discussion

6.1. Interpretation of Key Findings

This study shows that HDST in Hubei is not driven by DE alone, but by the extent to which digital and cultural resources are transformed into age-friendly services and positive tourist perceptions. The moderate effect of DE on ASA suggests that digital tools do not automatically create value for older tourists. Online booking systems, smart guidance, emergency assistance, and health-related digital services become meaningful only when they are easy to operate, clearly explained, trustworthy, and supported by offline assistance. This interpretation is consistent with prior research suggesting that older tourists may face barriers related to digital literacy, usability, accessibility, and trust when using digital tourism services [10,13,16].

The role of CTI should also be understood as a service-conversion process. Hubei has rich cultural and tourism resources, including historical heritage, ecological landscapes, wellness tourism resources, and regional cultural attractions. However, these resources can generate age-friendly tourism value only when they are connected with accessible transportation, suitable accommodation, medical support, emergency assistance, and appropriate service guidance. Therefore, CTI is not simply the combination of cultural attractions and tourism products. It requires coordination among scenic areas, hotels, transportation providers, healthcare facilities, digital platforms, and local governments. This interpretation extends previous studies on CTI by emphasizing that cultural and tourism resources must be translated into accessible, meaningful, and age-friendly service experiences for older tourists [17,23,28].

The relatively stronger role of silver tourists’ perceptions indicates that high-quality development depends on how older tourists evaluate the entire travel experience. For silver tourists, perceived safety, accessibility, comfort, trust, dignity, and well-being are not secondary outcomes but central mechanisms through which service improvements are translated into sustainable tourism development. This finding is consistent with previous studies showing that older tourists’ perceived experience, satisfaction, safety, and well-being are closely related to continued tourism participation, revisit intention, destination loyalty, and active aging outcomes [7,39,40,60]. Thus, destinations should not evaluate silver tourism only by the supply of digital tools, cultural products, or infrastructure, but by whether older tourists actually perceive these services as usable, reliable, and emotionally supportive.

The moderating effects of FS and PS further show that silver tourism development depends on both interpersonal and institutional conditions. FS may reduce older tourists’ perceived travel risk by providing emotional encouragement, travel companionship, decision-making assistance, and help with digital tools. This echoes prior research emphasizing the role of family involvement and intergenerational support in older adults’ tourism participation and travel confidence [18,43]. PS may improve service consistency through standards, infrastructure investment, digital inclusion programs, and coordination among tourism, health, transportation, and public service departments, which is consistent with studies highlighting the importance of PS in building inclusive and age-friendly tourism systems [20]. However, the modest moderating effects suggest that family and PS function mainly as facilitating conditions rather than dominant drivers. They strengthen the effectiveness of age-friendly services and tourist perceptions, but cannot replace the need for service adaptation itself.

The robustness check based on MGA further supports the stability of the proposed framework. The finding that most structural paths did not differ significantly across age, residence area, and health-status groups suggests that the main mechanisms identified in this study are not limited to a single subgroup of older tourists. Nevertheless, the significant differences observed in the age and urban–rural comparisons indicate that some mechanisms may be context-sensitive. In particular, PS and DE may function differently across age cohorts, while the effects of tourist perception and FS may differ between urban and rural older adults. These findings suggest that silver tourism development should maintain a generally integrated age-friendly service framework while also recognizing subgroup-specific needs.

6.2. Theoretical Contributions

This study contributes to the literature on silver tourism and sustainable service systems in three main ways:

First, it extends the application of DE theory to the context of silver tourism. Previous studies have emphasized the role of digital technologies in improving tourism service efficiency, accessibility, and user experience [10,16]. This study further shows that DE does not automatically produce high-quality tourism outcomes. Its value depends on whether digital tools are embedded in age-friendly service systems that older tourists can understand, access, and trust. This shifts the discussion of DE from a technology-centered perspective to an elderly-user-centered service perspective.

Second, this study clarifies the sequential service–perception–development mechanism in silver tourism. Prior studies have examined age-friendly services, tourist experience, and sustainable tourism outcomes, but these elements have often been discussed separately [23,39,40]. By incorporating ASA and PST as mediating mechanisms, this study explains how digital and cultural resources are transformed into development outcomes. It shows that older tourists’ subjective perceptions are not merely outcome indicators, but important mechanisms linking service provision with sustainable tourism development.

Third, the inclusion of FS and PS enriches the socio-ecological perspective of silver tourism. Existing research has recognized the importance of family involvement and policy environments in shaping older adults’ tourism participation [18,20,43]. This study extends this perspective by showing that FS and PS act as boundary conditions that shape the effectiveness of ASA and tourist perception. Silver tourism development should therefore be understood as a multi-level process involving individual perception, family encouragement, service-system adaptation, and policy coordination.

6.3. Contextual Relevance and Broader Implications

The findings have particular relevance for Hubei Province, which is characterized by both population aging and rich cultural-tourism resources. Hubei’s advantages in heritage tourism, ecological tourism, wellness tourism, and urban cultural attractions provide an important foundation for silver tourism development. However, the results suggest that resource abundance alone is insufficient. To convert these resources into high-quality silver tourism outcomes, Hubei needs to improve the accessibility, reliability, and coordination of tourism services for older adults.

It is also important to recognize that age-friendly service development may vary across different types of tourism destinations. In the Chinese context, culture–tourism integration includes not only heritage sites and humanistic attractions, but also natural scenic destinations with cultural, ecological, and wellness meanings. Some heritage-based or urban cultural-tourism destinations may have relatively more developed digital service systems, visitor centers, accessible routes, and emergency facilities. By contrast, mountainous or remote natural scenic destinations may face greater challenges in digital connectivity, barrier-free access, medical preparedness, rest facilities, and elderly-friendly route design. Therefore, differentiated age-friendly service strategies should be developed according to destination type, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

In practical terms, silver tourism in Hubei requires coordination across multiple service providers, including scenic areas, hotels, transportation systems, medical facilities, community organizations, and digital service platforms. For older tourists, the travel experience is shaped not only by attractions themselves, but also by whether the entire travel process is convenient, safe, and supportive. Therefore, Hubei’s silver tourism development should focus on building integrated age-friendly service chains, including accessible transport, clear signage, simplified digital interfaces, offline service assistance, emergency support, and medical–tourism coordination. This is consistent with prior studies suggesting that age-friendly tourism requires accessible services, inclusive design, emergency support, and coordinated service delivery [16,23,39].

The findings also suggest that PS is important for improving service consistency across regions and tourism providers. Standards for age-friendly tourism services, investment in accessible infrastructure, and coordination among tourism, health, transport, and civil affairs departments can help reduce service fragmentation. At the same time, FS should be recognized as an important social resource. Older tourists may be more willing to travel when family members provide emotional support, information assistance, and digital help. These insights indicate that HDST in Hubei should rely on both institutional coordination and family-level support.

Beyond Hubei, the proposed framework may also be relevant to other aging regions with rich tourism resources but uneven service integration. The development of silver tourism should therefore move beyond product design alone and focus on building inclusive, accessible, and coordinated service ecosystems for older tourists.

7. Conclusions

7.1. Key Findings and Theoretical Contributions

The present study examined the impact of DE on HDST, with ASA and PST as sequential mediators, and FS and PS as moderating factors. Analysis of data from 702 older respondents in Hubei Province supported most of our hypothesized relationships, highlighting the significant role of DE and CTI in fostering sustainable and inclusive tourism experiences for elderly tourists.

DE and CTI contribute to ASA, which further enhances silver tourists’ perceptions and promotes high-quality silver tourism development [10,13,16,17].

This study makes several theoretical contributions. It extends DE research by showing that digital tools alone do not automatically generate high-quality tourism outcomes for older adults; their value depends on whether they are translated into understandable, accessible, and trustworthy age-friendly services [16,23]. The study also clarifies the sequential mechanism through which digital and cultural resources are transformed into tourism development outcomes via service adaptation and tourist perception [17,39]. Furthermore, by incorporating FS and PS as moderators, the study highlights the interpersonal and institutional boundary conditions that shape silver tourism development [18,20,43].

7.2. Practical Implications

For tourism practitioners, digital tourism platforms should incorporate age-friendly features such as simplified interfaces, clear guidance, offline assistance, emergency support, and accessible information services to reduce barriers for older tourists. Tourism providers should strengthen ASA by offering flexible itineraries, accessible facilities, trained staff, and personalized assistance, ensuring that cultural-tourism resources are transformed into usable, enjoyable experiences for older tourists.

For policymakers, coordinated interventions are recommended. Policy measures such as subsidies, barrier-free infrastructure, digital literacy programs, and cross-sector collaboration can enhance the positive impact of DE and service adaptation. Encouraging family involvement in tourism planning and travel experiences further strengthens the benefits of age-friendly services, supporting sustainable and inclusive silver tourism development.

These results highlight that sustainable silver tourism development is not achieved solely through technological investment or service provision; instead, it requires a holistic approach integrating digital, cultural, service, familial, and policy mechanisms to deliver high-quality, inclusive tourism experiences for elderly populations.

7.3. Limitations and Future Directions

This study has several limitations. The data were collected from Hubei Province, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other regions with different demographic, cultural, or socio-economic characteristics. Additionally, the sample consisted of older adults with at least some exposure to digital tourism services, which may underrepresent elderly populations with very low digital literacy or limited prior experience in tourism. Although the stratified sampling strategy improved urban–rural and regional coverage, the sample was not designed to perfectly match the official demographic distribution of elderly residents in Hubei Province. Future research could adopt probability sampling or quota sampling based on official demographic statistics to further improve representativeness. In addition, the gender imbalance in the sample may also influence elderly tourists’ digital adoption behaviors, tourism participation, and service perceptions. Future research is encouraged to further examine gender-based differences in digital empowerment and silver tourism participation using more balanced samples or gender-stratified research designs.

The cross-sectional design of this study restricts the ability to draw causal conclusions and prevents the observation of changes in tourism behavior over time. Longitudinal or experimental designs could be adopted in future research to examine how DE, service adaptation, and tourist perception evolve, offering insights into long-term sustainable tourism development for older adults. In addition, although questionnaire-based analysis is useful for testing structural relationships among latent variables, it may not fully capture elderly tourists’ deeper motivations, lived experiences, digital-use difficulties, and practical service needs in silver tourism contexts. Future research could adopt mixed-method designs by combining questionnaire surveys with in-depth interviews, field observations, or case studies to obtain richer and more contextualized insights into older tourists’ digital tourism experiences and age-friendly service expectations.

Moreover, although this study examined sample heterogeneity through multi-group analyses based on age, residence area, and health status, several potentially relevant factors, such as digital literacy, income level, education, travel frequency, and social capital, were not incorporated as formal control variables in the structural model. Future research could integrate these variables as controls or additional grouping variables to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting tourism engagement and well-being among elderly populations.

In addition, although this study examines HDST from a tourist-market response perspective, it does not directly measure macro-level indicators such as industrial performance, governance capacity, regional coordination, or destination-level sustainability. Future research could combine tourist-level survey data with objective destination- or industry-level indicators to provide a more comprehensive assessment of HDST.

Finally, although procedural assistance was provided during questionnaire completion, subtle response biases may still exist. Future studies could consider interviewer-administered surveys or more controlled data collection methods to minimize potential bias and improve data reliability.

Addressing these limitations in future research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the sustainability of silver tourism and its ability to evolve in a way that meets the needs and preferences of an aging population, thereby supporting the development of more inclusive and effective tourism policies and services.