Social Tourism in Later Life: Unlocking the Potential of Public Transport to Facilitate Social Participation of Older Adults

Social tourism involves the inclusion of otherwise disadvantaged people in tourism participation through measures of a well-defined social nature, often but not exclusively around financial support. Social tourism is often considered a European concept as it originated in that continent, but there are many kinds of systems to support and enable participation among marginalised groups across the world. There are usually four different kinds of target groups of social tourism initiatives, young people, low income families, people with disabilities and older people. The presentation details preliminary findings from a study undertaken in Hong Kong, in conjunction with the public sector transport authority, focusing on understanding the challenges and barriers faced by older people in Hong Kong in participating in tourism and facilitating access through social tourism interventions. The aims of the study are to develop social tourism systems which will enhance participation and deliver a range of benefits to this population group.