Tourism experiences and healthy ageing: Current knowledge, emerging themes and future research directions

Nail Hoşcan

doi:10.31039/ljss.2026.12.419

Authors

Nail Hoşcan Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3669-6532

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31039/ljss.2026.12.419

Keywords:

healthy ageing, tourism experiences, critical narrative review, functional ability, keyword co-occurrence

Abstract

This study examines how tourism experiences may contribute to healthy ageing through psychological, social and behavioural resources. A critical narrative review combines structured literature identification, integrative thematic synthesis and exploratory keyword analysis to consolidate evidence across tourism, health and ageing research. English-language literature identified from 2000 to July 2026 supplied 59 direct empirical reports concerning adults aged 60+ and 195 supporting sources. The synthesis covers restoration and well-being, social connectedness, life-course influences on participation, accessibility, activity and health, and virtual experiences. Qualitative and cross-sectional studies predominate. Older participants describe relaxation, meaning, companionship and engagement alongside relational strain, access burdens and morbidity. Controlled virtual-tour comparisons show immediate advantages of sharing under selected conditions, including a non-significant low-engagement contrast. Longitudinal studies associate travel with later health endpoints but leave intervening processes unmeasured. Author-keyword analysis of 44 direct reports produces 12 terms, 19 links and four communities, with membership sensitive to analytical choices. The conceptual framework treats tourism as an episodic environmental opportunity whose use depends on capacity, resources and accessibility. Four propositions specify tests of recovery, social continuity, continued activity and support preserving autonomy. Single-reviewer interpretation, incomplete historical search records and heterogeneous evidence limit the review. The findings support further investigation of tourism-related resources for later-life well-being without establishing a general causal or durable healthy-ageing benefit.

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