TOURISM AND RETIREMENT MIGRATION

Anecdotes suggest that tourism may play a role in the decision of retirees to migrate. This paper reviews the literature to determining if research supports the anecdotal evidence. Much of the literature on retiree migration only superficially addresses this issue, and thus cannot be viewed as definitive. This literature does not suggest a strong link between tourism and later migration decisions. There is a small body of research that directly specifically addresses this issue. This research is carefully designed, based on a migration decision-making framework. It does show that tourism experiences have an impact at several stages in the decision process. Tourism experiences are used both to identify and eliminate potential locations.