*2.1. Elderly Tourists Segment*

Along with the dynamic increase in the touristic activity of the elderly observed in recent decades, the concept of senior tourism has been distinguished. The term is basically used to describe the spatial mobility of elderly people (Ole´sniewicz and Widawski 2015). At this point, it is worth defining the concept of old age. In the literature on the subject, there are many explanations of this term. They usually refer to the age at which a given person enters old age, as well as the terminology used to refer to these people: seniors, older adults, baby boomers, or the silent generation. Researchers of tourism define 'senior travelers' as people over the age of 55, with the term 'older adults' referring to people who are retired, typically at the age of 65 and older (Patterson 2006). Many scientific publications, on the other hand, use these two terms interchangeably, without any specific definition which would differentiate between the two. In works concerned with the use of leisure time, attention is drawn to the importance of the change of work status, from active work to a changeover to retirement, as a factor that has a particular influence on changes in the lifestyle of older people (Gee and Baillie 1999; Nimrod 2008). Other researchers on the subject draw particular attention to the age of seniors as well as the history interweaved in their life to date. According to Norman et al. (2001), this is of particular importance in the later tourism preferences of older people. Alcaide (2005 cited in Alén et al. 2012) states that many companies set the senior age at 55 years. According to this perspective, this is the age at which the consumer begins to sense different needs and starts to forecast and plan for aging. They are considered as part of the segment of the elderly in the banking system, which begins to differentiate and specialize treatment for them. Accordingly, this study defines the elderly as individuals who are 55 years old or older, as is usually and consistently defined in gerontology studies.

Regardless of how a senior tourist is defined, attention is also paid to treating the phenomenon of senior tourism more broadly and not limiting it to merely issues connected with age. In the deliberations, a series of elements characteristic of this sector of tourism have been defined, such as the specific motivations of seniors, their large amounts of free time, the seasonality of their travel, and their physical or economic limitations (see Patterson and Balderas 2020; Huber 2019; Otoo and Kim 2018).

The elderly tourist segment in the new panorama of social and business management can undoubtedly be taken as a growing and constantly evolving sector, and much research has been undertaken to unravel its specificities (Amaral et al. 2020). According to Le Serre (2008), the senior tourist segment represents a profitable source of revenue for companies linked to the tourism sector, not only because of its growing size, but also due to the availability of seniors and their time to travel. Otoo and Kim (2018) claim that motivation is the first step in exploring the prospects of the senior tourism segment. Continued research on the motivations of senior tourists reveals different types of motives for which seniors pursue travel.
