📈 economics

DHEC Tourism and Senior Friendly Services as Drivers of Healthy Ageing and Economic Benefits

This study utilizes PLS-SEM analysis of 323 respondents to demonstrate that health, eco-, and cultural tourism, alongside senior-friendly services (excluding digital tourism), significantly drive healthy ageing, enhance quality of life, and generate green economic benefits, thereby supporting the achievement of SDGs 3, 8, and 11 through inclusive tourism development.

Original authors: Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo, Mahadi Hasan Miraz, Tek Yew Lew, Mohammad Tariq Hasan, James Bakul Sarkar, Mohammad Faridul Alam, Rohana Bt Sham, Narishah Mohamed Salleh

Published 2026-07-01

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CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo, Mahadi Hasan Miraz, Tek Yew Lew, Mohammad Tariq Hasan, James Bakul Sarkar, Mohammad Faridul Alam, Rohana Bt Sham, Narishah Mohamed Salleh

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

Imagine the world's population is like a giant, growing garden. For a long time, this garden was full of young saplings, but now, a huge number of plants are reaching their "golden years." The researchers behind this study are asking: How do we help these older plants thrive, stay vibrant, and keep the whole garden economically healthy?

They decided to test five specific "garden tools" (types of tourism and services) to see which ones actually help older adults bloom. They gathered 323 gardeners (respondents) and used a sophisticated statistical recipe (called PLS-SEM) to measure the results.

Here is what they found, translated into everyday language:

The Five Tools They Tested

The study looked at five ways people travel and interact with the world:

Health Tourism: Visiting places for spas, medical check-ups, or wellness retreats.
Eco-Tourism: Hiking, bird-watching, and connecting with nature.
Cultural Tourism: Visiting museums, historical sites, and learning about traditions.
Senior-Friendly Services: Hotels and transport designed specifically for older people (easy access, comfortable rooms).
Digital Tourism: Using the internet, VR, or apps to "visit" places virtually.

The Big Results: What Worked and What Didn't

Think of "Healthy Ageing" as the health of the plant, "Quality of Life" as how happy the plant is, and "Economic Benefits" as the fruit the garden produces.

1. The "Nature" and "Culture" Boosters (Eco & Cultural Tourism)

The Finding: These were huge winners.
The Analogy: Imagine Eco-tourism as a deep breath of fresh air. The study found that getting older adults outside, walking in nature, and seeing green spaces acts like a powerful vitamin. It strengthens their physical body and calms their mind.
The Analogy: Cultural tourism is like a mental gym. Visiting museums or learning about history gives the brain a workout. It helps older people feel connected to others and keeps their minds sharp, leading to a happier life.

2. The "Wellness" Specialist (Health Tourism)

The Finding: This was also a major success.
The Analogy: Think of Health tourism as a tune-up for a classic car. Whether it's a spa treatment or a medical check-up, these activities directly fix physical aches and lower stress. The study confirms that when older adults get this specialized care while traveling, they age much more gracefully.

3. The "Comfort" Factor (Senior-Friendly Services)

The Finding: This worked very well too.
The Analogy: This is like having a personal guide who knows exactly what you need. When hotels and transport are designed for older people (ramps, comfortable seats, helpful staff), it removes the stress of travel. This independence makes older adults feel safe and happy, which improves their overall quality of life.

4. The "Virtual" Glitch (Digital Tourism)

The Finding: This was the only tool that did not show a significant impact on healthy ageing.
The Analogy: The researchers expected that looking at a virtual tour on a screen would help, but for this group of older adults, it was like trying to water a plant with a picture of water. While digital tools are great for planning, the study suggests that older people still need the real thing—actual physical movement, real social interaction, and real nature—to feel the benefits of healthy ageing.

The Ripple Effect: Money and Happiness

The study found a clear chain reaction:

When older adults use these real-world travel tools (Health, Eco, Cultural, and Senior-Friendly), they become healthier.
When they are healthier, their Quality of Life skyrockets (they are happier and more independent).
When they are happy and healthy, they travel more and spend money. This creates a economic boom (more jobs, more money for local businesses).

The Bottom Line

The researchers conclude that if we want to help our aging population and boost our economy, we shouldn't just build more digital apps. Instead, we need to build real-world experiences:

More nature trails for walking.
More accessible museums and cultural sites.
More hotels and transport that are easy for seniors to use.
More wellness centers that offer medical and relaxation services.

By focusing on these tangible, physical experiences, we can help older adults live longer, happier lives while simultaneously growing the economy. The study explicitly links these efforts to global goals for better health, decent work, and sustainable cities.

Technical Summary: DHEC Tourism and Senior Friendly Services as Drivers of Healthy Ageing and Economic Benefits

Problem Statement
The study addresses the challenges posed by the unprecedented global ageing population, projected to reach two billion people aged 60 and older by 2050. While the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that healthy ageing requires the preservation of physical, mental, and social well-being, there is a recognized gap in comprehensive research regarding how specific tourism sectors contribute to these outcomes. Existing literature lacks a holistic examination of how the integration of digital, health, eco, and cultural tourism (DHEC), alongside senior-friendly services, influences healthy ageing, quality of life, and economic benefits. Furthermore, the financial implications of leveraging these tourism sectors as a strategy for healthy ageing remain underexplored.

Methodology
The research employs a quantitative design utilizing Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 323 respondents. The sample included medical tourism professionals, patients, and stakeholders, primarily from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America, with a demographic skew toward males (65%) and individuals aged 60–65 (50%).

Data collection was conducted via online surveys using a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, adapted from existing tourism and medical tourism scales. The study tested a conceptual framework where Health Tourism, Digital Tourism, Eco-tourism, Cultural Tourism, and Senior-friendly Services served as independent variables. These were hypothesized to influence the mediating variable, Healthy Ageing, which in turn was expected to impact the dependent variables: Enhanced Quality of Life and Economic Benefits.

The analysis involved rigorous assessment of the measurement model (reliability, convergent validity via AVE, and discriminant validity via HTMT) and the structural model (collinearity via VIF, predictive relevance via Q2, and path coefficients via bootstrapping with 5,000 iterations).

Key Results
The PLS-SEM analysis yielded the following findings regarding the proposed hypotheses:

Supported Hypotheses:
- Health Tourism (HT): Found to have a significant positive relationship with Healthy Ageing ( $\beta=0.121, p<0.05$ ).
- Eco-tourism (ET): Demonstrated a strong significant positive relationship with Healthy Ageing ( $\beta=0.343, p<0.001$ ).
- Cultural Tourism (CT): Showed a significant positive relationship with Healthy Ageing ( $\beta=0.210, p<0.001$ ).
- Senior-friendly Services (SFS): Significantly positively affected Healthy Ageing ( $\beta=0.148, p<0.01$ ).
- Healthy Ageing to Outcomes: Healthy Ageing was found to significantly enhance Quality of Life ( $\beta=0.620, p<0.001$ ) and Economic Benefits ( $\beta=0.281, p<0.001$ ).
Unsupported Hypothesis:
- Digital Tourism (DT): The study found no statistically significant relationship between Digital Tourism and Healthy Ageing ( $\beta=0.035, p=0.497$ ). The authors note this suggests the older population may prefer physical tourism experiences over digital alternatives.
Model Fit and Predictive Power:
- The model demonstrated acceptable fit with an SRMR value of 0.06.
- The coefficient of determination ( $R^2$ ) indicated that the independent variables explained 34.5% of the variance in Healthy Ageing, 38.0% in Quality of Life, and 7.6% in Economic Benefits.
- Predictive relevance ( $Q^2$ ) scores were positive for all endogenous constructs.

Key Contributions
The paper contributes to the literature by empirically validating the "DHEC" framework (Digital, Health, Eco, Cultural) in the context of senior tourism, while explicitly identifying the non-significant role of digital tourism in this specific demographic's healthy ageing process. It establishes a causal chain linking specific tourism activities to healthy ageing, which subsequently drives quality of life and economic gains. The study provides evidence that age-friendly services, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and health tourism are not merely leisure activities but strategic drivers for sustainable development.

Significance and Claims
The authors claim that their findings provide actionable evidence for policymakers and industry stakeholders to develop inclusive, age-friendly tourism industries. The study posits that promoting these specific tourism sectors can simultaneously achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Through the promotion of physical, mental, and social well-being via tourism.
SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): By generating employment and increasing expenditure in tourism-related sectors.
SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): By fostering sustainable, accessible, and inclusive tourism environments.

The paper concludes that while digital tourism did not show a significant impact in this study, the integration of health, eco, cultural, and senior-friendly services offers a viable pathway to support healthy ageing, improve quality of life, and stimulate economic growth in an increasingly ageing global society. The authors acknowledge limitations regarding the cross-sectional design and self-reported data, suggesting that future longitudinal research is necessary to confirm causality and long-term effects.

The Five Tools They Tested

The Big Results: What Worked and What Didn't

The Ripple Effect: Money and Happiness

The Bottom Line

Technical Summary: DHEC Tourism and Senior Friendly Services as Drivers of Healthy Ageing and Economic Benefits

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