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Aging, agile, smitten by wanderlust, Chinese make world their oyster

By Chen Meiling | China Daily | Updated: 2018-12-10 09:18
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Chinese tourists buy souvenirs in Vladivostok, Russia. Many senior citizens see travel as realization of their long-held dreams of youth. [Photo/Agencies]

These days, post-retirement life for Chinese people includes not just tai chi, mahjong, and dancing at squares but travel, which has spawned niche tourism.

Liu Yue, 56, said she now travels twice a year. She has visited Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Tibet autonomous region, Guizhou province, Yunnan province, as well as Russia and Cambodia in recent years. Her future plans are for visits to Japan and South Korea.

Generally, she would invite several friends or family members to join on a package tour. "So it won't take our time to arrange the travel schedule."

Most of the time, Liu would visit major scenic spots and buy some specialty products. Each tour may cost her 6,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan ($872 to $1,453). "The point is to relax, experience local culture and enjoy tasty food."

The world's second-largest economy has 240 million senior citizens. More than 20 percent of Chinese tourists are from this group, which has stimulated the tourism market during the low season, data from the Office of the National Working Commission on Aging showed.

Chinese people who are now aged 55 and over were born in difficult times when a typical family revenue used to cover just the costs of basic accommodation. Many such people see travel as realization of their long-held dreams of youth, said Chen Guang, partner at consultancy firm McKinsey and Company.

After retirement, they have stable income from pensions, less economic pressure and more free time. So, travel is feasible. Their grown children gift tours to express love and gratitude, Chen said.

"With the economic development, the elderly tourism market is growing quickly, faster than many other mature tourism markets," he said.

The stereotype of old Chinese tourists crowding into some Chinese restaurants or getting busy taking photographs at scenic spots, is also changing. Elderly people are seeking more diverse and deeper cultural experiences.

According to a recent report released by Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency, about 85 percent of its over 1 million elderly clients chose medium and high-end products, which emphasizes pursuit of comfort and pleasure in travel.

Tailored trips, themed tours, private tours and cruise trips are gaining in popularity among the old group.

Tourists older than 55, whose average consumption reached 3,500 yuan per trip, ordered about 16 percent of tailored trips this year. Keywords most frequently mentioned in tailored trips included "five-star airlines", "comfortable" and "special food", the report said.

Chen said part of the reason is that the newly retired group has greater consumption ability and has more experience in adapting to unfamiliar outside world.

He said the trend is also largely influenced by the preferences of their children or grandchildren, since a cross-generation family trip is very common.

"Marketing and travel products should be designed to target their offspring instead, since they are more likely to be the decision-makers."

According to the report, average consumption of the post-1950s reached 3,115 yuan for each overseas package tour, the highest among all age-groups.

Popular products at Ctrip have elements like no shopping, small group, pick-up services and sufficient time for free activities, the company said.

David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum, said: "For older people, culture is more attractive than entertainment. And what young people would consider fun could be simply noise for them.

"A destination like Hainan whose climate is agreeable could play a major part in tourism choices. The scope of health tourism would enlarge if resorts or companies specially target older people. Adapting the concept of wellness to older people could also have enormous potential."

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