Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify the meaning of tourism for elderly in Japan. In order to identify the goal of this study, an interview was conducted on persons concerned in the travel agency regarding the meaning of tourism for elderly, and an in-depth interview was conducted on elderly about their tourism experiences in addition to their life history. For elderly, tourism was not only related to pursuing individual pleasure. Instead, the delight they perceived from tourism is deeply connected to elements like memories with families or other people as well as their personal experiences in life. Additionally, unlike how 「tourism」 is considered as a modern invention, elderly regard 「trip」 and 「travel」 as a valuable part of their lives. As a result, this caused for reconsideration to be made in this study for the meaning of tourism.
