Tourist activity of senior citizens in 2012 on the example of inhabitants of the podkarpackie province

The main aim of this research was to define the activity level of senior citizens who visited the examined area during summer and autumn of 2012 as well as to learn their opinion about the Podkarpackie Province. The research was conducted within the international project TOURage - Developing Senior Tourism in Remote Regions, which included twelve partners from ten European countries. The results give a picture of senior citizens who are very active in tourism and have become an important segment of it. In most cases they decide to stay on vacation in Poland for 1-2 weeks, usually during autumn and summer (employees), accompanied by a spouse or friends. Journey and accommodation is organized by them individually, based on their own experiences or the opinions of relatives and friends. The main transport means are a car (employees) and a bus (pensioners). The greatest obstacles of tourist trips of senior citizens are money and health (pensioners) and lack of time (employees), and no traveling companion. They decide on going for trips mainly because they want to rest in a peaceful environment as well as spend some time with their families. Sometimes they also seek new friends. Their choice of place to stay depends among others on: natural and cultural values, safety, quality of services and possibilities of commuting. Things like: handicraft, dancing, or shopping, have no influence on the choice