The socioeconomic relevance of social tourism programmes for seniors: the case of Portugal.

Abstract

Although leisure and tourism are recognised to be human rights, they are still not accessible for certain groups of the population, such as to some senior citizens. To address this lack of access, diverse social tourism programmes have been created in several countries, offering seniors with low income or at risk of social exclusion the opportunity to participate in tourism trips. The main objective of this chapter is to analyse one of these programmes existing in Portugal – the INATEL 55+.pt Programme –, and to assess its social and economic benefits. A study including a questionnaire survey directed at seniors who participated in the Programme (N=551) and also based on secondary data, reveals that this Programme generates several benefits both for those participating in the trips and for the territories where the trips take place.