Older the better: senior tourists’ curiosity towards the home-sharing platform

Purpose: Senior tourist is a salient segment of the tourism sector. This segment reflects a robust ageing population with discretionary income and an appetite for tourism activities. However, to date, there has been a paucity of empirical insight on how the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations may influence senior tourists’ connectedness and booking intentions towards home-sharing accommodation. Thus, this study aims to investigate how senior tourists’ curiosity and social interaction may influence their connectedness towards Airbnb and subsequently booking intention. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model was developed and tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling to analyse data collected from a sample of 195 senior tourists in Malaysia. Findings: The results showed that intrinsic (curiosity) and extrinsic (social interaction) motivations positively influence senior tourists’ connectedness towards platform accommodation, which in turn positively affects the outcome variable. Furthermore, this study found that a sense of connectedness is crucial in linking motivators and booking intentions. Research limitations/implications: This research was carried out in Malaysia; therefore, cross-national studies are encouraged to establish whether the findings described in this study can be extrapolated to other cultures/countries. Practical implications: From a practitioner’s perspective, this study reinforces the need to address and understand senior tourists’ curiosity and how it may invoke their connectedness and behavioural actions towards the Airbnb platform. More importantly, this study gives home-sharing practitioners practical leverage on how combined intrinsic and extrinsic motivations may deduce senior tourists’ booking intentions. Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature on senior tourism and the home-sharing sector by demonstrating the role of curiosity and social interaction in shaping senior tourists’ connectedness towards Airbnb and behavioural intentions.