Wu Zenghe, who has been in the bed-and-breakfast (B&B) business for over a decade in China, feels that the enthusiasm for cultural travel consumption among the country’s elderly has been constantly rising in recent years.
His B&B, especially designed for the elderly and located in the Huizhou ancient town, a popular tourist destination in Shexian County, east China’s Anhui Province, has only been operating for a year but has already attracted groups of silver-haired visitors from first-tier cities.
As one of the first batch of B&Bs to combine local history, beautiful scenery and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the county, Wu’s B&B regularly invites doctors to provide health management services, including the likes of medical lectures and TCM physiotherapy, while also providing tourism services tailored to suit the elderly, such as slow-paced travel plans.
“Travel for health is about to see an influx of those born in the 1960s and 1970s, who have the ability and willingness to spend on health management and better tourism experiences,” he said.
The silver economy is providing huge consumption energy in the cultural tourism market. Statistics from the China Tourism Academy showed that the number of tourist trips made by those aged 60 and above had reached 1.16 billion in 2023 – accounting for 20.6% of China’s total domestic tourists. It is estimated that by 2028, the value of the silver-haired tourism market will reach about CNY2.7 trillion (RM1.65 trillion), revealing strong growth momentum.
In early February, nine Chinese government agencies and state-owned enterprises, including the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, unveiled an action plan to expand and improve senior-friendly tourism train services, in the latest bid to create more inclusive and enjoyable travel experiences for the elderly.
It plans to create a nationwide network of specialised trains catering to older travellers by 2027 – featuring over 100 designed routes and 2,500 scheduled trips annually.
According to a blue paper on China’s silver economy, the sector is currently valued at CNY7 trillion (RM4.28 trillion), with tourism being a key growth area.
Elderly adults in China had amassed wealth totalling CNY78.4 trillion (RM47.94 trillion) by 2023, according to the China National Committee on Ageing.
The growing market size of the silver-haired group has also promoted the upgrading of the accommodation industry. For example, hotels in many places in China have launched innovations such as silent floors and non-slip bathrooms.
According to H World Group, one of China’s largest hotel operators, rooms that are equipped with elderly-friendly facilities proved popular last year – with an occupancy rate of more than 90% in 2024.
“China’s rural areas offer good scenery and environments, and these benefits are now coupled with improving accommodation conditions as well as medical services. We both feel very comfortable in body and mind,” said Sun Tian, a tourist from Shanghai. He added that he and his wife meet up with old friends for a stay in a health resort in the Yangtze River Delta region for a period each year, while they often shop online for agricultural products from the health resort area after returning to Shanghai.
