Developing Sustainable Tourism-Based Elderly Care: Meeting Urban Care Needs and Enhancing Elderly Well-Being

Dear Colleagues, 

The global aging population has become a significant public health issue, creating significant challenges for urban elderly care resources. In response, countries have focused on developing home care, community care, and institutional care models. However, due to the increasing burden on family care, underdeveloped community services, and rising institutional care demand, urban elderly people continue to struggle to access adequate care services. Consequently, some urban elderly individuals are turning to tourism-based elderly care as an alternative solution to meet their needs and improve their quality of life.

Compared to traditional care models, tourism-based elderly care offers a unique advantage by leveraging external resources to alleviate pressure on local systems, thereby playing a significant role in addressing urban elderly care shortages. However, despite its potential, research in this area remains limited. For instance, the specific demands of elderly individuals for tourism-based care, the barriers they face, the changing trends in these demands, and the types of destinations most suitable for elderly care have yet to be fully explored. Additionally, critical issues such as the sustainable development of tourism-based elderly care destinations, profitability, effective marketing strategies, as well as the challenges and opportunities in this area, remain under-researched.

Recognizing these critical gaps, this Topic particularly encourages collaboration across the fields of tourism, public health, economics, and marketing, with the following goals:

• Deepen understanding of the demand factors, barriers, and evolving trends for tourism-based elderly care;
• Explore elderly individuals’ preferred destinations for tourism-based care and assess their development status;
• Identify sustainable development strategies for these destinations;
• Investigate the relationship between tourism-based elderly care and urban elderly care shortages;
• Examine the impact of tourism-based care on elderly individuals’ quality of life;
• Explore the economic implications of tourism-based elderly care for destination regions;
• Examine the role of local policies and regulations in shaping tourism-based elderly care destinations;
• Assess the social and cultural factors influencing elderly individuals' preferences for tourism-based care destinations;
• Explore the integration of technology in enhancing the experience and sustainability of tourism-based elderly care;
• Investigate the potential environmental impact of tourism-based elderly care and its sustainable practices.
• Predict the future demand and market potential for tourism-based elderly care;
• Conduct cross-national comparative studies, such as differences between Eastern and Western approaches to tourism-based elderly care.

This Topic welcomes a range of submission formats, including empirical research, conceptual or theoretical papers, practical case studies, industry insights, and policy analyses. Interdisciplinary contributions co-authored by researchers in tourism, public health, economics, and marketing are especially encouraged.

Dr. Yu Pan
Prof. Dr. Chris Ryan
Topic Editors