CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- “My friends and I are about to go to Yunnan for fun, and my daughter also supports me. Now it is convenient to take the high-speed train.” Ms. Chen, who lives in Jiulongpo, Chongqing, came to the railway station early. October 23, 2023 was the traditional Double Ninth Festival, and many elderly people chose to travel. Qunar data shows that the weekend before the Double Ninth Festival (October 21-22), visiting relatives and short-distance travel traffic showed a small peak, and the mountain scenery in the suburbs of the city became popular. From the point of view of ticket bookings, ticket prices were lower after the Double Ninth Festival, and elderly travelers were about to embark on a journey.

In fact, the middle-aged and elderly people have become the largest source of tourists in China’s tourism market. Ctrip released 2023 Silver-haired People’s Travel Behaviors Insight which reveals the characteristics of silver-haired people’s travel behaviors. Stronger traveling intention, increased average consumption price, preference for group travel, and consumption differentiation have become the significant characteristics of the traveling consumption of the silver-haired people.

The improvement of welfare security system and tourism infrastructure, the innovation of tourism market supply, etc., make the elderly more willing to travel. Ctrip data shows that as of October 15, 2023, the number of people over 55 years old traveling increased by nearly two times compared with the same period last year. From the specific age group, the 55-60-aged group is the main consumer group, and accounts for the highest proportion, reaching 60%; and more than 20% of them are 61-65-olded people.

With the end of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, the national tourism market has gradually returned to be rational from hot, and the price of air tickets and hotels has dropped so that elderly travelers can start their journey. Qunar big data shows that the elderly traveling accounted for 7% during the National Day holiday, the proportion of elderly traveling gradually increased after this holiday, and the elderly traveling after the Double Ninth Festival accounted for more than 11%. Thirty percent of the elderly traveling orders were booked by their children who tended to spend a little more money to book higher-quality group tour products for their parents.

On multiple platforms, Chongqing is not only the main tourist source for elderly people to travel, but also the favorite of elderly tourists. Qunar data shows that Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shenyang were the main sources of senior travelers. According to Ctrip statistics, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi’an, Kunming, Changsha, Suzhou, Shenyang and other cities were the main tourist sources and major tourist destinations for people over 55 years old. (Translated by Liu Hongyan, Fathom Language Limited)