Tourism Experience Value Shaping Older Adults Tourists’ Well-being: Qualitative Insights from Guizhou Province, China

Abstract

Population aging is profoundly reshaping global societies, intensifying the need to promote healthy aging and enhance older adults’ well-being through leisure and travel experiences that address emotional, cognitive, social, and practical needs. This study explores the multidimensional structure of experiential value as perceived by older tourists during well-being-oriented travel. Data were collected through 24 semi-structured interviews with older individuals who had participated in relevant tourism activities in Guizhou province. Guided by grounded theory, this research  developes a conceptual model comprising four core value dimensions—emotional, cognitive, social, and functional—and ten refined variables. These variables illustrate how older tourists construct well-being through interrelated affective, intellectual, relational, and practical experiences. Sentiment analysis further revealed that most experiential keywords were positively valenced, underscoring the affective benefits of such travel. The study contributes theoretically by extending experiential value theory to aging-specific contexts and incorporating cultural resonance within existing dimensions, while offering practical guidance for designing emotionally supportive, cognitively enriching, socially inclusive, and functionally accessible travel experiences tailored to older populations.