Driving Forces of Seasonal Migratory Retirees in the Context of Aging: A Case Study of Sanya

As a population migration phenomenon in the context of global mobility and an aging society, seasonal migratory tourism has become a new way of providing for the aged, with unique seasonal temporal and spatial characteristics. This study takes China's only tropical coastal tourist city, Sanya, as an example. Based on a field survey of 256 seasonal migratory retirees, it uses factor and variance analyses to explore the structure, intensity, and group differences in the driving forces of seasonal migratory retirees. The results show that: (1) the economic income and cultural levels of seasonal migratory retirees in Sanya are relatively high, although they are also polarized. (2) Seasonal migratory retirees in Sanya are composed of seven driving forces: landscape environment, social capital, social symbol, urban service, lifestyle, family atmosphere, and health preservation; health preservation is the predominant driving force. Among them, factors such as health preservation, social capital, and lifestyle are strong, while urban service factors are the weakest. (3) Unlike the active pursuit of "a better life" in foreign countries, seasonal migratory retirees of Sanya are driven by the health problems engendered by aging. Meanwhile, there are obvious differences in family attributes and economic motivation at home and abroad, and the social network in Sanya became a significant follow-up motive for their migration. (4) The article initially reveals the continuum of "tourism leisure-daily life", which reflects the complexity of migration's driving forces. (5) There are obvious differences in the driving forces of Sanya's seasonal migratory retirees of different genders, education levels, ages, and residence duration, especially regarding social capital. The research enriches the empirical and theoretical exploration of the tourism immigration research system. Further, it clarifies the migration motives and rules of the elderly, helps local government formulate relevant policies, and improves the quality of life and happiness of seasonal migratory retirees.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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