Travel frequency of seniors tourists

•The variables that determine senior travel are not the ones that influence travel frequency.•Women have significantly higher travel frequency than men.•No significant relationship was found between the employment status of the individual and travel frequency.•The health of seniors behaves more like a travel limiter than a travel inhibitor.

Current demand for tourism is characterized by more frequent, shorter trips throughout the year. Such trends may have adverse effects on the hospitality industry but benefit the travel industry. Most current literature assumes that the variables that determine travel participation are identical to those that influence travel frequency, though there is no evidence to support this assumption. Therefore, the current study seeks to identify variables that influence travel frequency among Spanish senior tourists, who represent a key target market for the tourism industry. The results specify that gender, self-perceived economic status, and self-perceived time available variables strongly determine Spanish seniors' travel frequency.