“Our children now have their own careers, and we’re just sitting at home with nothing to do — we might as well travel abroad.” said Li Xingquan from Nanning, Guangxi. It’s currently the off-season for tourism, and “off-peak travel” saves money and is more enjoyable.
Every March and April is considered the “cold winter” in the tourism industry, and travel prices continue to drop after the surge during the Spring Festival “Golden Week”. With the improvement in the living standards of Chinese residents, more and more elderly people are choosing to travel in groups during this period, and the “silver-haired travelers” have become the absolute main force of off-season tourism.
Yang Changying, deputy general manager of Guangxi Zhongtian Travel Co., Ltd., said that travel prices during the off-season are only half or even lower than those in peak season. Since March, 70% of the agency’s customers have been elderly, “especially travelers aged between 50 and 60, who love to travel the most.”
When it comes to route selection, the “silver-haired travelers” prefer high-quality “slow travel”, such as premium tours to places like Sanya in Hainan, Yangshuo in Guilin, and Beihai in Guangxi, which are very popular among the elderly.
For the “silver-haired travelers”, domestic travel is no longer the “only option”; Southeast Asian and Western European countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, France, and Italy have become hot outbound choices.
Influenced by the trend of “silver-haired travelers” traveling in groups, the prices of recent outbound tours to Europe, as well as domestic tours to destinations like Beihai in Guangxi, Mount Wutai in Shanxi, and Mount Wuyi in Fujian, have all risen to varying degrees. The “silver-haired travelers” have added new momentum to the off-season tourism market.
Regarding some issues with “senior travel”, industry insiders pointed out that spring is the golden season for travel, but the fatigue from traveling and physical exhaustion can easily overwhelm elderly travelers. In response, Yang Changying suggested that seniors should have a health check-up before traveling and consult a doctor to ensure they are fit to go. During the trip, it is essential to pay attention to food hygiene, focus on cooked and warm meals, avoid excessive exercise, and maintain balanced energy levels throughout the journey.