*4.1. Demographic Characteristics*

The seniors answering the questionnaire were mainly women (69%—1176 answers, Table 3). This confirms the demographic fact that women are a majority of elderly people. It also signals that they are more active participants in activities where the questionnaires

were distributed (senior club activities, exhibitions organized for seniors). This higher representation of women also affects the results of the questionnaire, as the answers concerning the motivations and needs of seniors with respect to tourism reveal the interests of women more than men.


**Table 3.** Demographic characteristics of the respondents.

Notes: \* 26 of the respondents did not answer; \*\* 40 of the respondents did not answer; \*\*\* 51 of the respondents did not answer; \*\*\*\* 90 of the respondents did not answer.

The average age of seniors answering the questionnaire was 68.4 years (1590 answers). There was a balanced response from young and older senior groups. Therefore, the answers to the questions show good representativeness of all age groups of seniors. The oldest senior answering the questionnaire was a 95-year-old Greek citizen.

The seniors involved (1504 who filled out the question) had been retired for almost 10 years (9.7 years) on average. Most of them were married (52%) and 24% were widowed. When talking about tourism, it is important to understand that a high ratio of this group are single or living alone as a widow (35%). Specific senior club activities and especially tourism group tours target these seniors, who are looking for travel companions.

The responding seniors (1599) had a balanced educational background. Results show that 22% of the respondents had a university degree, 19% had completed elementary school, and 59% had finished secondary education. This balanced level ensured good representativeness of seniors with all types of educational backgrounds in the questionnaire.

One-fifth of the pensioners were still working (9% full time, 6% part time, and almost 5% as an entrepreneur). The high number of full-time employees, in particular, reveals two tendencies. On the one hand, as shown by answers on income level and the main barriers to senior tourism (presented above) in the remote regions of Europe, there is a need for senior employment because of economic reasons. Nevertheless, people working during the first period of retirement is also a trend in wealthier countries, as senior citizens are feeling active enough to be present on the labor market. Another important message that arises from the answers is that seniors are open to entrepreneurship—78 seniors answered that they were running their own business.

For the question regarding their economic status, only 1449 seniors provided answers, most likely due to its sensitivity (the response rate was 85%). Analyzing the average annual income of respondents is quite critical. Usually, seniors who can afford to engage in tourism are those with at least an average level of earnings, and who can cover their daily costs and have some savings after paying the bills. The annual income of 32% of respondents is average, and a quarter of them reported that they have an income over the average (almost 20%) or even double the average income (more than 3%), although 23% answered that their annual income is under the national yearly average. Critically, how are seniors able to share in the experience of tourism in remote regions of Europe if their incomes do not allow it? This is a question which pertains to a key hypothesis of this study. Significantly, almost 8% of seniors answered that their income is deeply under the average, including especially seniors in Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, a disproportionate number of whom categorized themselves as being in this group. This number is a basic signal that, especially in these countries, more attention should be paid to the social tourism of seniors as well as special support schemes.
