Is the preference for free-style tourism organization a characteristic of the elderly’s tourism consumption?

Research and analysis of the elderly tourism market

The 21st century will belong to the century of the elderly. The elderly market and the elderly industry, like the aging problem, have become the current and entering 21st century. Hot social issues. Developing the elderly market and revitalizing the elderly industry have become indispensable in promoting sustained economic growth and sustainable social development, and are the material guarantee for "building a future society that everyone can enjoy regardless of age." This is a new opportunity for the market economy.

1. What the aging population brings to our tourism industry

Judging from the psychological characteristics of the elderly, after they have contributed most of their lives to the country and society, they , during retirement, they are most afraid of being forgotten by society. Many elderly people have a strong sense of responsibility for society. As long as they feel that they can still be accepted by society, it is enough. On the other hand, tourism activities are a higher-level way of leisure and learning for people after satisfying their basic needs. In essence, they are a way for human beings to enrich themselves, develop themselves and affirm themselves, integrate themselves into human society, and participate in social development. a form. In this way, it becomes natural for the elderly to choose to travel.

Judging from the age structure of foreign tourists who visited my country in 1998 announced by the National Tourism Administration, the proportion of seniors over 51 years old accounted for 22.3% of all tourists to China, second only to business tourism activities Mainly 46.5% of the middle-aged group. According to the latest World Travel Conference for the Year of Older Persons, about 1/5 of the U.S. population is over 55 years old, and 47% of them have experienced long-distance travel. It can be seen that the elderly have formed a sizable group among the tourist population.

Judging from the consumption level of the elderly, among the tourist crowd, the consumption level of the elderly is not low, and their consumption potential is large, especially in developed countries. It is predicted that the total population of the United States will increase by 7% from 1990 to 2000, while the population over 55 years old will increase by 11%, and their income will also increase. On the other hand, their expenses are much less than those of young people. Their children are far away from them, and social insurance relieves them of worries. Therefore, many healthy people often choose expensive airlines and cruise ships to travel, bringing high profits to tourism companies.

Judging from the custom of respecting and caring for the elderly in our country since ancient times, according to a survey of several major travel agencies in Beijing that handle Chinese citizens traveling abroad for the elderly, a considerable number of them have their children paying for the elderly. "Dream of going abroad". In addition, many high-income elderly people in my country can also travel abroad by relying on their own savings.

From the perspective of the increasingly expanding elderly tourism team, there are currently no travel agencies and tourism service organizations that specialize in elderly tourism in our country. What's more, many travel agencies also impose age restrictions when launching popular routes, which makes the majority of elderly people sigh at the "scenery". It can be seen that creating the elderly tourism market and providing specialized services for elderly tourism is an opportunity for tourism enterprises to seek development.

2. Characteristics of the elderly tourism market

Because the elderly’s physical condition, experience, etc. are very different from other age groups, there are several unique characteristics for their participation in tourism activities. The characteristics are mainly reflected in: (1) being highly selective in tourist destinations and being cautious in arranging travel activities. The elderly have lost the curiosity that young people have about the adventurous elements of tourism activities. Therefore, they will use various media to understand the situation of the tourist destination as detailed as possible before departure, and strive to make arrangements in advance. (2) Mainly pure tourism activities, which are different from the leisure tourism activities of the youth group, and even different from the tourism activities with specific business purposes of the middle-aged group. Correspondingly, tourism consumption expenditures are basically all used for food, accommodation, transportation, travel, and entertainment during the journey, and very little shopping is used. In comparison, the shopping expenditure of other age groups often accounts for about 50% of the total consumption of the entire trip. (3) Group travel activities are the main ones, and couples often travel together. The arrangements for various activities during the journey require comfort, leisure, and high-quality services from tourism agencies as standards. Among them, a sound medical security system is an extremely important component for senior tour groups to complete their travels. This is also a significant feature that distinguishes senior tour groups from ordinary tour groups. (4) Beautiful natural scenery and unique traditional culture are the two types of tourism products that are most attractive to elderly tourists. (5) Travel distance is limited, and fewer elderly people visit destinations that usually have long journeys.

3. Several basic strategies for currently developing the international and domestic elderly tourist markets

(1) Since the elderly tourism market has important characteristics that distinguish it from other markets, we are developing When developing the elderly tourism market, we should be targeted based on these characteristics.

The elderly are highly selective about destinations and are cautious in arranging travel activities. This requires us to be as rich and detailed as possible, simple and clear at a glance when making promotional publicity for the elderly. The elderly’s travel is limited by their physical condition and financial ability, which requires us to follow the principle of "short and precise" when formulating travel routes. The itinerary should be short, and the tourist attractions should be refined, distinctive, and rich in content.

In view of the fact that the elderly have a special preference for the cultural significance of tourist destinations, they should spend more energy in this aspect. A distinctive feature of senior tour groups is that they must have a sound medical security system, which puts forward higher requirements for both the hardware and software of our travel services. Medical staff should accompany the group and contact hospitals during the trip and at the destination in a timely manner. Higher requirements have also been put forward for tour guides, which not only require rich professional knowledge and excellent language expression skills, but also require understanding of elderly psychology and elderly health care. For example, when arranging meals for the elderly, try to arrange fragrant, crispy, and delicious food. Soft and low-sugar, highly nutritious, easy-to-digest and easy-to-chew foods. When arranging activities, the principle of stability should be followed and the intensity should be appropriate.

(2) From the perspective of the international market, due to the different travel proportions of the elderly in regions with different levels of economic development, the strategy of "comprehensive attack and key breakthroughs" should be adopted when developing the elderly market. From an international perspective, we will continue to consolidate our country's markets in Western Europe and North America, vigorously explore the elderly tourism market in surrounding areas and Oceania, and appropriately develop the markets in Africa and Eastern Europe.

From the perspective of the domestic market, the economy of the eastern coastal areas of my country is relatively developed, and the proportion of elderly people traveling is high; the economy of the inland and northwest regions is relatively backward, and the proportion of elderly people traveling is relatively low; the urban economies are relatively developed, and the proportion of elderly people traveling is relatively low. The proportion of traveling is high, the rural economy is relatively backward, and the proportion of elderly people traveling is low. Therefore, when we develop the domestic elderly market, we must take into account our country's national conditions. On the one hand, we should focus on developing the elderly tourism market in economically developed areas and actively provide convenience for these elderly people to travel; on the other hand, we should appropriately develop tourism in economically underdeveloped areas. Market, encourage the elderly in underdeveloped areas to travel, and adopt corresponding preferential policies for these elderly people.

(3) Since there are obvious differences in the forms of tourism adopted by the elderly in regions with different levels of economic development, different forms should be adopted when promoting tourism for the elderly in different regions. For elderly tourists in economically developed areas, especially international tourists, attention should be paid to promoting my country's five thousand years of splendid culture and national customs with Chinese characteristics. As listed as a World Cultural Heritage, the matrilineal life of the Mosuo people located in Lugu Lake in northwest Yunnan attracts a large number of foreign tourists every year, especially European tourists, despite the inconvenient transportation. In response to Japan’s devotion to Buddhism, Suzhou’s “Bell Ringing on Cold Mountains” attracts Japanese tourists in droves. For elderly tourists in underdeveloped areas, their economic status and psychological characteristics should be fully taken into account when promoting. That is "spend less and see more places." Try to arrange as many scenic spots as possible, which can be a series of beautiful natural scenery tours, a series of tourist attractions tours, or they can be intertwined with each other. In short, when developing the elderly tourism market, we must truly think about what the elderly think and be concerned about their concerns. This is both an opportunity and a test for tourism practitioners.