What are the travel preferences and new trends of senior tourism maintaining a growth rate of 7.3% every year?

It’s the Double Ninth Festival again. As the population ages, the “silver-haired people” have become the main force in tourism. United Nations data shows that in the next 30 years, China's elderly tourists will continue to grow at a rate of 7.3% every year.

This generation of older people have both leisure and money, strong spending power, and their own ideas for traveling, which are no less impressive than those of young people. Beijing News Shell Finance uses data to see how this generation of "silver-haired people" can have fun? What are the travel preferences and emerging trends?

The per capita travel spending of the "silver-haired group" exceeds that of those born in the 1990s

Older tourists will maintain an annual growth rate of 7.3%

Guangzhou Travel Group previously released data showing that in terms of travel spending , the elderly group represented by those born in the 50s and 60s shows strong consumer demand. Most of the travel budgets for middle-aged and elderly customers aged 50 and above are between 2,000 and 10,000 yuan, and they belong to a group with high spending power. Ctrip data shows that in the past six months, the per capita spending of those born in the 1950s and 1960s has increased by 16% year-on-year, exceeding 25% of the per capita spending of the post-90s and post-00s groups.

The elderly are becoming the main force in tourism consumption. Data shows that more than 80% of middle-aged and elderly people in my country are willing to travel. Data from the "Research on the Development Status and Trends of China's Elderly Tourism Industry" show that if physical and economic conditions permit, 81.2% of middle-aged and elderly respondents express their willingness to travel, and less than 10% of the respondents expressly express their unwillingness to travel.

United Nations forecast data shows that in the next 30 years, China’s elderly tourists will continue to grow at a rate of 7.3% every year. By 2050, China's elderly population will exceed 480 million, accounting for 36.5% of the total population. Assuming that travel intention and per capita consumption remain unchanged, the total tourism consumption of China's elderly population will reach more than 2.4 trillion yuan.

"Silver-haired people" prefer short-distance travel

Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu are their favorite destinations

Elderly tourists must pay attention to safety when choosing travel destinations. Therefore, tourist resorts with comfortable climate, flat ground and beautiful scenery are often the first choice for elderly people to travel.

Where do senior citizens like to go when traveling within the country this year? Ctrip data shows that as of September 1 this year, the most popular tourist destinations for tourists aged 60 and above in 2022 are: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Haikou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Shenzhen, and Kunming.

In which cities do the “silver-haired people” like to travel the most? Beijing News Shell Finance reporter combed through data and found that elderly people from economically developed first-tier cities and coastal cities prefer to travel. Tuniu data shows that Nanjing, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou have the highest proportion of elderly tourists.

Compared with long-distance travel, short-distance travel is more popular among the elderly. Tuniu data shows that as of now, elderly consumers on the platform have chosen short-distance tours, accounting for 74% of the total number of elderly customers, such as a 2-day tour of Anji Bamboo Sea, a 2-day tour of Zhoushan, a 2-day tour of Xunliao Bay in Huizhou, etc.; The proportion of elderly people who travel long-term (traveling time is more than 5 days) accounts for 26%.

Since long-term travel is a relatively expensive travel product, the most popular regular 6-7-day long-term travel without shopping on Tuniu platform has a unit price (including round-trip air tickets) of more than 4,000 yuan. Guizhou and Sichuan routes cost more than 3,500 yuan, and the unit price for small packages will be 20%-30% higher depending on the specific situation.

The favorite "two people together" can go as soon as possible

Customized travel orders for "silver-haired people" increased by 18% year-on-year

Compared with young people, the elderly People travel more decisively and prefer to travel "in pairs" as soon as possible. There are also many elderly people who enjoy traveling alone. Tuniu data shows that the elderly mainly travel together, with 33.2% of them traveling with two people, 20.6% traveling with 3-4 people, and 22.4% of the elderly choose to "travel alone."

In addition, "silver-haired people" are increasingly pursuing travel quality when traveling. In long-term group tours, private tours and single tours have gradually become the mainstream. In terms of group tour product selection, Niuren Line accounts for 33.7%.

In 2022, elderly tourists will pay more and more attention to travel experience. Ctrip platform data shows that the number of customized tour orders for users aged 60 and above increased by 18% year-on-year in 2021.

There is no need to worry about work or the schooling of children. The travel time of the elderly is more flexible. Tuniu data shows that 47% of elderly people like to travel on weekdays to avoid peak periods such as holidays. In addition, young people also pay more attention to high quality when booking travel products for their parents, taking into account cost-effectiveness, comfort and safety. 51% of elderly tourists choose economical and comfortable hotels; 46% of elderly tourists choose luxury and high-end hotels.

Virtual tour guides are set up in 227 A-level tourist attractions in Beijing

Digital tour guide services during travel are bringing travel convenience to more and more elderly people, but half of the elderly are still There are “digital thresholds” that need to be addressed while traveling. The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter found out that the elderly who can buy tickets and tickets online account for 75.6% of the entire respondent group; less than half of the elderly use positioning navigation.

In order to facilitate the travel of "silver-haired people", tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and cultural institutions have gradually launched a number of aging-friendly transformations.

Beijing took the lead in launching the "Beijing Smart Tourism Map", which has basically realized the basic information query function of Beijing's tourist resource points, helping the elderly to travel without worries.

In addition, as a favorite travel destination for the "silver-haired people", Beijing has upgraded its hotels and restaurants (including hotels contracted for the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics), tourist attractions, libraries, cultural centers, Regarding the barrier-free environment level of the five types of theater industry units, a total of 480 barrier-free points and 1,230 barrier-free elements have been rectified to facilitate the travel of the elderly.