Ctrip: 60+ users reach 10 million, revealing the next opportunity in the middle-aged and elderly tourism market exclusively.

Typesetting | Mico

With the change of economic level and consumption concept, silver-haired people have already become an important tourist source that can not be ignored in the 2 1 century, and the tourism products of middle-aged and elderly people have been iteratively upgraded and occupied the highlands.

An epidemic of COVID-19, which is raging all over the world, bears the brunt of the blow to tourism, but it still hasn't dispelled the enthusiasm of middle-aged and elderly tourists. Two years later, they left home one after another, continued to gallop on the road and arrived in the distance.

Not long ago, AgeClub interviewed Xie Xiaoqing, a senior researcher at Ctrip Research Institute, and she shared with us the latest trends of the elderly tourism market in China in recent years, as well as the changes and innovations of Ctrip platform.

The following is an interview record:

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The platform 60+ users have reached10 million.

Overall orders increased by 37% year-on-year.

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Xie Xiaoqing: Ctrip has been serving the elderly since the establishment of 1999, and has launched some corresponding package tour products. The form of group tour is more reasonable for the arrangement of itinerary, more considerate for tourists, more in line with the travel habits of most elderly people, and has become their favorite product.

In 2009, Ctrip officially launched the "100% transparent group" product, which broke the history of opaque information about group tours. In 20 13, Ctrip released the "drilling standard" for group tours and began to enter a new stage. In 20 15, Ctrip, together with ten thousand travel agencies, issued a "six-fold travel guarantee" and an advance payment mechanism to improve the guarantee level and customer experience of group travel products.

In fact, when outbound travel was still open before the epidemic, many elderly people with high consumption levels were very willing to choose outbound travel. Compared with a variety of domestic tourism methods, they basically only choose to travel with groups abroad. Therefore, it is a more reassuring choice for the elderly to improve tourism security and introduce the advance payment mechanism.

In addition to upgrading the product mechanism, we have also made many innovations in R&D. Previously, Ctrip created many new concepts and formats in the group tour market. For example, a semi-self-help tour means that tourists set off in groups, and the travel agency matches the hotel and part of the itinerary, leaving a day or two for tourists to move freely. In addition, there are private groups, exquisite groups and destination groups.

Speaking of the field of the elderly, Ctrip has specially launched the "Parents' Rest assured Tour" product, and has been improving and upgrading around the special needs of the elderly. In 20 19, Ctrip put forward the concept of "new group", with fewer team members, more flexible itinerary, and more emphasis on personalized customization while improving quality.

02

At present, what is the user scale and growth rate of Ctrip platform for the elderly?

Xie Xiaoqing: We define elderly users as people over 60 years old. At present, the number of users over the age of 60 on Ctrip platform has reached tens of millions. In terms of growth rate, we made statistics at the end of last year. As of 202 1 and 10, the registered users of Ctrip platform aged 60 and above increased by 22% compared with 2020, and the overall order volume increased by 37% year-on-year, among which the orders for group tours increased significantly.

At present, it seems that the growth rate of the domestic market is still relatively good, except that many tourism products of the elderly groups are reserved by their children, which better shows that the demand of the elderly tourism market is huge at present, and the epidemic has not caused a great blow to the elderly's willingness to travel.

03

Through Ctrip observation, what is the current proportion of elderly tourists of different ages? Which age group is the main force of travel?

Xie Xiaoqing: In terms of the age group of elderly tourists, the generation aged 60-70 has the highest proportion. Among them, the population aged 6 1-65 is the largest, accounting for more than 60%; The proportion of people aged 66-70 is about 1/4. Generally speaking, the elderly aged 60-70 are still in an absolute dominant position.

04

In what fields are the elderly more keen on traveling?

Xie Xiaoqing: We studied the orders of elderly users over 60 years old on Ctrip, and found that the top ten users usually live in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Liaoning, Shandong, Hubei and Shaanxi, which is quite in line with the development of local economic level.

05

What is the importance or positioning of the elderly tourism business in Ctrip platform?

Last year, Global Travel News, a media in the tourism industry, interviewed Mr. Liang Jianzhang, the founder of Ctrip. com, and asked him how he viewed the impact of aging population on tourism companies. We feel that this trend has little impact on Ctrip, which has been established for a long time, and now the initial users are older.

Regarding the positioning of the elderly tourism business, the mainstream business is more of a group tour product, and there is a separate theme of the elderly tour at present. Because comfort and cost performance are the main considerations for the elderly to travel, Ctrip has also introduced various standards in recent years, so that the elderly and their children can make comprehensive choices according to the grade and price of products and the brand sales of travel agencies. For example, the general elderly are more concerned about whether the round trip is a direct flight, whether the accommodation is a high-star hotel, and whether there are self-funded projects or shopping arrangements.

02

Yunnan-Guichuan/Northwest China has become a tourist destination.

Products accelerate penetration and sink the market.

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What are the main changes compared with the old-age tourism data released by Ctrip in recent years?

Xie Xiaoqing: By comparing and studying the data in recent years, including destination, order volume and consumption preference, we feel that there really hasn't been much change. For example, the consumption demand and affordability of the elderly have hardly changed much.

I think this is actually a good thing, indicating that the impact of the epidemic on the tourism of the elderly may only be reflected in the choice of destinations, because there is no option of "traveling abroad". In the past, the elderly people who chose to travel abroad all spent 10,000 yuan on their products. Although their destination has now moved to China, they still need to meet their consumption level of 1 10,000 yuan.

We studied the most expensive hotels for Ctrip users over 60 years old. The top five hotels are Shanghai Oriental Pearl Hotel, Shanghai Yangyun Aman Hotel, Moganshan Naked Heart Valley Resort Hotel, Sanya Haitang Bay JW Marriott Hotel and Shanghai Sheshan Shimao Intercontinental Hotel (Shenkeng Hotel). It can be seen that their consumption level is not much different from that of young people, which can break the stereotype of the outside world.

In addition, there is an obvious trend. In recent years, customized tours are more popular among group tour products, with the fastest increase. Because the elderly generally don't want their trips to be too tight, their children have the idea of helping them buy customized tours or private groups, which also reflects their high requirements for the quality of tourism products.

This kind of customized tours and private groups often don't need the elderly to worry too much. Usually, it is the old people who ask the children, and the children communicate with the customizer, and they are only responsible for playing and enjoying themselves. They often put forward some special ideas, such as having a birthday on the road, which these tour guides can help realize.

02

What theme tour package is most popular with elderly tourists?

Xie Xiaoqing: From the destination, we found that in the past two years, apart from Hainan, an old celebrity on the Internet, Yunguichuan and Northwest China were more popular with the elderly. Before, we thought that the climate and environmental conditions in northwest China were not suitable for the physical conditions of the elderly, and we were unwilling to travel to such places for a long time, but the fact was just the opposite.

Because the fragmented products on our platform are now perfect, the elderly can easily make an appointment to rent a car and travel to the northwest, thus providing them with more choices. Even we found that in the car rental order, there were cars that the team went with. According to statistics, as of last year 10, the rental orders of users aged 60 and above on the platform increased by 108%, which is one of the fastest growing categories in several business lines of Ctrip.

We have counted the top ten tourism products at present, and the destinations are mostly tourist cities famous for their natural scenery, including Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang, Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang, Taizhou in Zhejiang, Huanglong in Jiuzhaigou, Wulong in Chongqing, Lishui in Southwest Zhejiang, Lushan in Jiangxi, Libo in Guizhou and Qianhu Miao Village in Xijiang. In addition, Leshan, Emei Mountain, Lijiang and Lugu Lake also occupy a large market share.

At the same time, many elderly people have a growing demand for historical sites, and they may buy customized tourism products, such as hoping that tour guides can focus on telling themselves about human history. It is also common for the elderly to fly to their destinations spontaneously, participate in local small groups for half a day, and visit the Red Holy Land.

03

Older tourists like to travel in groups. Is it popular for one of them to travel alone with a group?

Xie Xiaoqing: At present, there are few tours, and most elderly people still tend to travel with their relatives and friends. Because the general tourism products will arrange accommodation in a unified way, it is customary for two people to live in one room. If a person participates in a group tour, there will be cases where tourists need to subsidize the price difference between single rooms, so the elderly do not particularly like to participate in group tours alone, unless they are social-themed group tour products.

A person's travel mainly focuses on the scene of free travel or group destination. Visitors to such products can flexibly arrange their own specific itinerary and choose whether to follow the tour guide. This trend is increasing, because the elderly are learning to book their own air tickets and hotels, and the shuttle bus service is becoming more and more perfect.

04

Xie Xiaoqing: There are many elderly users on Ctrip. We also found that more and more elderly users are willing to share some interesting stories and experiences that happened during the trip.

We have observed that TV and past books are the most recommended channels for the elderly at present, which will stimulate their "desire to punch in". In addition, some short video platforms, such as Tik Tok and Aauto Quicker, which are very popular now, have also had a certain impact on their tourism consumption behavior.

05

Compared with young people, are elderly tourists willing to punch in some popular online celebrity attractions?

Xie Xiaoqing: Nowadays, the elderly are particularly willing to punch in, especially when they brush Tik Tok. They will see some places like high-altitude glass plank roads, lakes and seas among network celebrities, and they are very interested.

06

What are the differences between male tourists and female tourists in their travel choices?

Xie Xiaoqing: Female tourists prefer to go to natural scenic spots, because these places can meet their needs of taking photos. Male tourists prefer to visit historical sites, and they are willing to go to such places with cultural heritage and historical stories.

07

What are the obvious differences in the travel choices of elderly tourists of different ages?

Xie Xiaoqing: At present, the main group of elderly users of Ctrip platform is still 60-70 years old and relatively young. Their ideas are also very novel, and they often travel around the country with groups or children. Older people of this age will also book their own hotels, and there is not much difference in terms of price and star rating.

For the elderly aged 70-80, they are more inclined to travel with their children or young relatives, so that more people can take care of them. Most of these elderly people need someone in the team to communicate with the tour guide to decide the destination and itinerary, and there is relatively little demand for autonomy.

08

20 19 Ctrip mentioned the tourism data of the elderly in the county and rural areas. How about the growth of elderly tourists in the sinking market? What are the differences in travel choices between old tourists in high-speed cities and sinking markets?

Xie Xiaoqing: What we see is that the elderly in high-speed cities have higher spending power, but the growth rate of elderly tourists in the sinking market must exceed that in high-speed cities.

With the change of consumption concept of the elderly in these areas, their time at home with their children is decreasing, so they have more opportunities to travel. At the same time, the children of the elderly are now more willing to spend for their parents and buy tourism products.

09

At present, the average consumption level of the elderly is higher than other age groups. Is price one of the important factors that affect their travel choices?

Xie Xiaoqing: Actually, the influence of price on the purchase of tourism products by the elderly depends on different regions. Based on our current observation and communication with users, the conclusion is that the elderly in first-tier cities and new first-tier cities are not sensitive to prices, but have higher requirements on destinations, service levels, accommodation star standards and overall experience. Older people in second-and third-tier cities pay more attention to the richness of tourist attractions and are more sensitive to prices.

At present, the tourism products of 2000-3000 yuan on Ctrip platform are the most popular, but this is not a very high level, which can only be said to represent the average level of most elderly people.

In order to meet the needs of some elderly people, the platform has been iteratively launching some higher-end and better-quality products, such as customized tours in Xinjiang, Linzhi, Beijing and Tibet. The per capita consumption is more than 6000 yuan. There is a big room for such products to rise.

10

Regarding the way to order food and pay, do the elderly pay for it themselves or do the children buy it for them? What's the ratio?

Xie Xiaoqing: In fact, it is often impossible to determine whether the ordering user is the child of the elderly only from the age range. Therefore, we set the age of the orderer at 20-50 years old and the age of the traveler at 60-90 years old, and then decide whether the children will help the elderly to buy food.

We observed the data of people aged 20-50 who placed orders, and found that from March to June last year 10, the year-on-year increase of users was around 47%, which is a very high data. We believe that the situation that children buy tourism products for their parents is increasing.

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Xie Xiaoqing: The comfort of the trip and the arrangement of accommodation are always our concerns and considerations. Take our "Parents' Rest assured Tour" product as an example, all the itinerary arrangements are relatively easy, and there will be no thrilling elements.

Considering the problem of sedentary fatigue of the elderly and the need to go to the toilet in time, we will control the long-distance driving time, stipulate that continuous driving should not exceed two hours, and the number of stops will increase during driving.

At the same time, for the choice of destination, we have a set of special rating and definition standards. For elderly tourists, we will choose a safer place. Generally, there are no fierce and dangerous attractions and activities such as paradise rafting, hot air balloon watching and skiing. If mountain climbing is involved, we will also arrange cable cars and other means of transportation for them as an alternative.

In terms of accommodation, the hotel facilities we booked for the elderly are very good, and the environment is quiet and comfortable, which ensures their high-quality rest. In terms of diet, we provide three meals a day, usually hot food. Because most elderly people have developed the habit of eating regularly, the time of eating is also our main consideration, and the length of dinner is at least one hour.

In addition, many elderly people prefer to take photos and wander around scenic spots, so we will increase their time by 20% to let them move freely. In terms of product price, the three meals and transportation expenses in the scenic spot are included in the cost of group tour, and there is no need to pay other expenses during the trip, so that the elderly can feel more at ease.

12

When is the preferred tourist season for the elderly? Will this affect the pricing strategy of tourism products?

Xie Xiaoqing: We observed the annual travel situation of the elderly in 20021year, but compared with 20 19, the difference was not particularly obvious, mainly concentrated in spring, summer and autumn, and several tourism peaks were April-May, July-August and 9- 10 respectively.

Of course, "migratory birds" tourism and cold-avoiding tourism are also a craze. At present, tourists are mainly the elderly in the northern region, or the elderly with particularly good economic strength. They will fly to Sanya, Guangxi and Guangdong for the winter, accounting for a certain proportion, but it will not affect the market.

Because the elderly have more flexible time, they generally prefer to travel at the wrong peak. Considering that young people love to travel during the May Day and November holidays, they will try to avoid these golden weeks.

The travel season of the elderly has little influence on the price, and pricing planning is more related to supply and demand. Because time nodes like April-May, July-August, 9- 10 are really the peak season of the tourism market, the price is definitely higher than the off-season.

However, because the elderly prefer to travel at the wrong peak, the product prices during these periods will be cheaper than during the "May Day" and "Eleventh" Golden Week. For the elderly with plenty of time, there are more price ranges for them to choose from.

03

Custom/Theme/Quality Driven Product Design

Normalization of epidemic situation promotes technical upgrading

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Xie Xiaoqing: The first is "customization". Now many old people have actually been to many places. Maybe they don't have too many requirements for the destination, but they have high requirements for the specific gameplay during the trip, so their demand for customized travel is increasing.

For example, some elderly people who pursue romance in life want to have a "golden wedding and silver wedding commemoration" travel experience, and also want to bring some small surprises to their wives in the arrangement of the itinerary, which requires the cooperation of tour guides and customizers.

Considering that this special arrangement needs to be set according to the specific demands of the elderly, we will let the customizer learn how to guide tourists to put forward their needs during the training process and try to meet their expectations in the subsequent arrangement process.

The second is the "theme". Among the products launched by Ctrip last year, "Red Tour" is very popular with elderly users, because many elderly people are willing to take their grandchildren to such scenic spots and tell them some past stories.

02

Affected by the epidemic, what are the significant changes in the travel choices of the elderly?

Xie Xiaoqing: In terms of destination choice, we can see that the destination preference of tourists from different provinces has not changed much compared with that of two years ago. Most of the elderly who have financial strength and are willing to travel abroad are scattered in Yunnan, Guichuan, Northwest China, Hainan and other places.

After the epidemic, in the overall tourism market, the trend of local tourism and Zhou Bianyou is more obvious, of course, for the elderly.

03

At present, do the elderly still have unmet needs or pain points in tourism consumption?

Xie Xiaoqing: At present, Ctrip's demand for elderly users should be said to be relatively perfect, such as the insurance system for elderly tourists. In addition, we will recommend suitable products according to the age and physical condition of the elderly, and try to fit their consumption preferences as much as possible.

As for the pain points, tourism products put the safety of users first. For older guests, we may not be able to meet all their needs, and their safety and risk issues are more important in the process of product development.

04

Is there room for the middle-aged and elderly tourism market to continue to rise in the future? In the context of the normalization of the epidemic, will it face greater challenges?

Xie Xiaoqing: Under the background of accelerating aging, the tourism market for the elderly will inevitably continue to rise, and now the requirements of the elderly for tourism experience are also constantly improving. In fact, the epidemic has lasted for two years. In fact, many people have gradually adapted to such a big environment under the background of normalization, and the tourism industry is also actively facing changes in market conditions.

In the past two years, due to the abnormal operation of some outbound tourist routes, high-quality products like Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan and Northwest have been born, which has also promoted the development of many high-end hotels.

Of course, there must be challenges. For example, last year, an outbreak in Nanjing, Zhengzhou and other places led to the stagnation of inter-provincial tourism business in relevant epidemic areas, which still had a great impact on tourism. In addition, frequent local epidemics throughout the country will greatly affect the travel mentality of the elderly and kill their enthusiasm.

However, Ctrip's response to sudden outbreaks is still relatively perfect. We will sort out orders according to the latest policies of airlines and hotels for the first time, and the self-service order return ability of the platform has also been greatly improved, and the processing efficiency of artificial intelligence customer service is also improving.

Generally speaking, tourism has been well maintained since the outbreak of the epidemic. At present, the consumption behavior of elderly tourists is also escalating, and the unit price of tourism products is getting higher and higher, which is a good trend in our view.

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# Ctrip # # Middle-aged and elderly people # # Travel #