ElderWander: an accessible digital tourism platform for older adults

Abstract

This paper presents the development and evaluation of ElderWander, a digital platform designed to provide accessible tourist information for older adults in Portugal. Addressing the lack of digital tourism platforms that cater to the physical accessibility needs of older adults users, ElderWander aggregates information about various points of interest, enabling older adults to find locations that meet their specific needs. The platform was developed focused on localization and using a question-answer model to simplify tour planning. Extensive testing, including accessibility and usability validations, pre-surveys, and post-interviews, yielded positive results, indicating the platform’s effectiveness and achieving high accessibility and usability scores. The findings highlight ElderWander’s potential as a model for future advancements in accessible tourism technology, promoting active ageing and enhancing the tour planning experience for older adults.