Motives, behaviors, and attachments: A comparative study between older travelers and younger travelers in a national scenic area

One of the most important trends in the United States today is the aging population. As the baby boomers, who are frequently depicted as healthier, wealthier, and nature-loving "leisure boomers" are growing older, there will be increasing numbers of older nature-based travelers participating in outdoor activities.; Through comparing older and younger travelers, the purpose of this study was to explore the potential factors associated with older travelers' motivations and recreational behaviors in a natural environment. This study is aimed at explaining why they come, where they come from, what they do, and what consequential influences they bring to the place and themselves while experiencing and utilizing nature-based recreational facilities and opportunities.; The study was undertaken through analyzing data collected by the USDA Forest Service as part of its national visitor use monitoring program. The sample is composed of 1,282 visitors who were interviewed in the year 2000 at the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (CRGNSA). Among the 1,282 respondents, more than 30% of the travelers were 50 years old or older.; Various methods were incorporated in the study, including a series of hypotheses tests, reliability tests, as well as model development, model validation, and model comparison. A total of eight hypotheses were developed and tested to examine the relationships between visitors' social demographic variables and trip motivation, recreation participation, and other travel-related behaviors. A confirmatory factor analysis (structural equation model) was used to validate a hypothesized model of multiple paths. This model tested the mediating effects of motivation and travel distance on the relationships between previous visitation, traveler's age, and place attachment. A geographic information system (GIS) was operated to describe and analyze the spatial patterns of distribution of visitors' ages and trip motivations in relation to physical locations of scenic sites.; The results of the study indicated that significant differences existed between older travelers and younger travelers in their trip motivations and types of recreation participation. Unlike older travelers, younger travelers were highly motivated for opportunities for physical exercise; while older travelers shared same interests with younger travelers with regards to being with family and being in natural surroundings. Another pattern was discovered through comparing travelers' recreation participation style. Older travelers preferred to participate in "soft" recreation activities while younger travelers loved the opportunities for being physically challenged.; The findings of the confirmatory factor analysis suggested that different types of motivation played certain roles in mediating the effects of age and previous visitation on place attachment. Travelers who visited the CRGNSA before and were highly motivated for physical challenge showed a stronger sense of place attachment. The model replication across two age groups indicated that the same structure of the model applied to both groups. However, significant differences between two age groups in the strength of paths were revealed through model comparison.; The results from GIS analyses further acknowledged differences between older and younger travelers in the relation to physical locations of chosen sites. Age is evidenced as a factor for choosing a visiting site.; The study also discussed the implications of results and offered suggestions and recommendations to future researchers and recreational practitioners to direct their attention and reposition themselves and their services to address the challenge contributed by this growing age segment.