Seniors turn off-peak season into tourism niche

More elderly travelers, especially women, embark on trips for Spring getaways

Travelers pose for photographs at a railway station in Yantai, Shandong province, on Sunday, before they embark on a journey specially designed for seniors. Destinations include many tourist attractions in the provinces of Hunan, Yunnan, Jiangxi and Guizhou, as well as the municipality of Chongqing. (TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILY)

Elderly consumers in China are seeking high-quality travel experiences in March, a traditional off-peak season for travel, thereby boosting the growth of the country's silver economy.

Since last year, among all age groups of women, those aged 50 and above have recorded the fastest growth in booking volumes for travel products, with their bookings more than doubling year-on-year, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

Zhang Han, a female traveler from Beijing who is in her 50s, has more leisure time now that her daughter has just started college. As she no longer needs to synchronize her schedule with those of her husband and daughter, Zhang and two of her female friends intend to take road trips across the country, and recently pooled in money to buy a recreational vehicle.

Taking a trip in March typically costs less, and tourist destinations are usually less crowded as the passenger flow at popular domestic tourist attractions gradually declines after the Spring Festival holiday.

Prices of flight tickets, too, have dropped by about 30 percent over the Spring Festival holiday period this year. For some popular destinations, the price decline has been more than 50 percent, industry players said.

Some of the hottest domestic destinations for female travelers in the over-50 age group include Kunming and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; Haikou, Hainan province; and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Qunar found.

Appreciating flowers and taking a spring outing are some of their favorite activities. Destinations with the highest increase in bookings since early March include Wuyuan in Jiangxi province; Wuxi in Jiangsu province; and Tongnan in Chongqing, renowned for scenic spots with flower blossoms.

During the travel offseason, female tourists prefer to book flights in business class and luxury hotels with discounts, and the booking volumes for such high-end products last year were 30 percent to 40 percent higher than the previous year, data from Qunar showed.

"Compared with the traditional spending on food, clothing and utilities, women are increasingly willing to pay for experiences and emotional value. Besides, since last year, the average prices of domestic luxury hotels have declined by about 20 percent compared to the past few years," said Cai Muzi, a researcher at Qunar.

In particular, from the beginning of 2024 till March this year, the largest spike in booking volumes for luxury hotels by domestic female travelers was observed among those from Chengdu, Sichuan province; Hangzhou; Chongqing; Shanghai; and Wuhan, Hubei province, and their favorite features at hotels included hot springs, indoor swimming pools, gyms, sky lounges and lobby bars.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government further deepened the reform of elderly care services and formulated policies to promote the development of the silver economy last year, according to the Government Work Report delivered on March 5 at the annual session of the 14th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature.

This year, the government plans to refine policies and mechanisms for developing senior care programs and industries and vigorously develop the silver economy to actively respond to the aging population, the report said.

As of the end of last year, China's silver-haired population, or those aged 60 and above, exceeded 300 million, said the National Bureau of Statistics.

Besides, it is noteworthy that the elderly have been interested in taking trips for some niche activities, such as glacier hiking, watching auroras and whales, and visiting the polar regions.

Female travelers who booked such trips accounted for nearly 70 percent of the total, Qunar said.

"To our surprise, half of the participants for some extreme tour groups, such as visiting New Zealand for stargazing adventures; visiting the Arctic village in China's northernmost city Mohe, Heilongjiang province; and hiking to Mount Qomolangma (also known as Mount Everest), were women aged over 50," Cai said.

She also pointed to the better consumption habits and physical fitness of a large number of middle-aged and elderly women consumers.

This year, as people born after 1970 gradually retire, the market is expected to embrace an era of silver tourism.