Abstract:

Tourism and old age, which have been examined and discussed with the same perspective in the field of social sciences in Turkey, are actually multifaceted and comprehensive at a level that require research reflecting broader perspectives. Just like the tourism sector being examined only at an economic level, the old age, which is the most critical stage of adulthood, is addressed predominantly with its diseases. However, the relation of the various activities within the scope of tourism with the learning and educational activities on social and cultural platforms cannot be denied. In addition to the tourism identity of Mersin being ignored, there are missing points in defining the needs of the elderly population's social life in Mersin. In fact, the socialization and learning needs of elderly population are directly related to touristic activities. This study aims to illustrate tourism from the perspective of the elderly and local tourists and to show the informal learning experiences of the elderly people who have participated in the touristic activity. In this context, this study was designed in qualitative research design and the study group consisted of 15 participants living in the Erdemli district of Mersin. According to the research findings, elderly individuals with touristic experience are aware of the socio-cultural role and importance of tourism. Although they experienced difficulties in participating in touristic activities due to financial difficulties and health problems. Participants' experiences with tourism were mostly positive and led to them getting familiar with many different cultures, cities and foods. Negative experiences faced have shown that experience based socializational informal learning can lead people to generate generalized prejudices towards a business or a city.

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