Dementia, Travel, and Tourism: A Scoping Review

Giebel, C ORCID: 0000-0002-0746-0566, Talbot, CV ORCID: 0000-0001-9353-8990 and Hansen, M ORCID: 0000-0002-5053-9667 (2025) Dementia, Travel, and Tourism: A Scoping Review. Dementia. p. 14713012251363867. ISSN 1471-3012

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Abstract

Background: Little is known about travelling and tourism for people living with or caring for someone with dementia. The aim of this scoping review was to synthesise the existing evidence on dementia, travel and tourism, the experiences of people with dementia and their carers, and how venues and businesses are dementia friendly. Methods: The review protocol was prospectively registered on PROSPERO [ID: CRD42023397637]. Four databases were searched for relevant literature in February 2024. Studies were included if they were published in English, Danish, or German, without any restrictions on publication date. Titles and abstracts, and full texts, were reviewed by two different research team members, and any disagreements were resolved in discussion with the wider team. Results: From 1,523 screened records, 13 papers were included. Evidence showed wide-ranging barriers for people with dementia and their carers to travel, often limiting the travel to local well-known places with adequate facilities or decisions on whether to travel solo as a carer. Seven studies focused on attitudes of businesses and tourist attractions and their implementations of dementia-friendliness. There was a notable lack of knowledge about dementia, and whilst most sites were willing to adapt existing attractions to include people with dementia, a lack of financial resources was the main barrier consistently referred to. Conclusion: Little remains known about the experiences of people living with dementia and their carers surrounding tourism and local, national, and international travel, and how different tourism organisations provide dementia-friendly support. With a focus on supporting people with dementia to remain as independent as possible, research needs to explore the population’s experiences, and how tourism destinations and modes of travel and transport could improve to be dementia-friendly and inclusive.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	dementia; tourism; travel; visitor economy; 4203 Health Services and Systems; 42 Health Sciences; Alzheimer's Disease including Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD); Neurosciences; Dementia; Brain Disorders; Aging; Acquired Cognitive Impairment; Alzheimer's Disease; Neurodegenerative; 7.1 Individual care needs; Generic health relevance; Neurological; 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1110 Nursing; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; Geriatrics; 4203 Health services and systems; 4205 Nursing
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) > G149 Travel. Voyages and travels (General) > G154.9 Travel and state. Tourism
Divisions:	Liverpool Business School
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance:	10 July 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	20 October 2025
Date Deposited:	20 Oct 2025 15:30
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2025 15:45
DOI or ID number:	10.1177/14713012251363867
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27385

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