1. LINE

      Text:AAAPrint
      Economy

      'Silver' tourists may become travel goldmine

      1
      2015-09-15 08:43China Daily Editor: Wang Fan
      A couple visits Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. As Chinese society ages rapidly, growing demand from senior tourists is likely to make them a powerful group within the nation's travel industry. (Photo provided to China Daily)

      A couple visits Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. As Chinese society ages rapidly, growing demand from senior tourists is likely to make them a powerful group within the nation's travel industry. (Photo provided to China Daily)

      Senior travelers get a rough deal from travel agencies, who believe the low profits they generate aren't worth the efforts required to make them. However, as China becomes an increasingly aging society, the tide may be turning for older travelers.

      Since she retired four years ago, Chen Ying, 59, has been bitten by the travel bug.

      The last trip the former physician made was at the end of April, when she visited Yunnan province in Southwest China. The 10-day jaunt included trips to Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, but it only cost 800 yuan ($125). "I saw the advertisement at the travel agency near my home, and I thought it was a good bargain," said Chen, from Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province.

      Travelers aged 55 and younger got an even better deal, though. They were given free trips because they were regarded as having greater spending power than seniors and were more likely to spend reasonable amounts at various destinations.

      The super-cheap package aroused the suspicions of Chen's two daughters, who warned her about the tight schedule, the strong possibility of "forced shopping" and even verbal abuse from the tour guide. Chen regarded their concerns as exaggerated because "there were a lot of seniors joining the trip", so she set out accompanied by her neighbors. They didn't actually join the group until they arrived in Kunming.

      Although the trip failed to live up to the promises made in the advertisements, Chen was generally satisfied because the package was extremely cheap and she didn't feel pressured to purchase souvenirs or other unnecessary items.

      "The schedule was too tight, though," she said. "For a few days it felt as though we were just driving endlessly along bumpy roads. On the 24-hour train journey back to Shijiazhuang, I didn't rest well, so I took a few days to recover from the trip later," she added. "I'm not that old, but I don't think I can endure these (cheap) tours anymore."

      Aging population

      Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2013 show that the number of Chinese age 60 or older was 202 million. By 2050, that number will nearly double to about 400 million.

      The older generation's enthusiasm for travel is growing rapidly. According to Ctrip, a leading online travel agency, 87 percent of those age 50 and older said they definitely plan to travel, and 13 percent said they would "probably" travel. However, 29 percent of those age 25 years and younger, and 17 percent of people in the 26 to 30 age bracket, said they had no travel plans.

      A survey conducted in November by the Gerontological Society of Shanghai and East China University of Science and Technology found that many customers were dissatisfied with the services and products provided by travel agencies. About 30 percent of the 2,341 seniors interviewed both online and offline complained that "they felt they had been treated without proper respect while traveling".

        

      Related news

      MorePhoto

      Most popular in 24h

      MoreTop news

      MoreVideo

      News
      Politics
      Business
      Society
      Culture
      Military
      Sci-tech
      Entertainment
      Sports
      Odd
      Features
      Biz
      Economy
      Travel
      Travel News
      Travel Types
      Events
      Food
      Hotel
      Bar & Club
      Architecture
      Gallery
      Photo
      CNS Photo
      Video
      Video
      Learning Chinese
      Learn About China
      Social Chinese
      Business Chinese
      Buzz Words
      Bilingual
      Resources
      ECNS Wire
      Special Coverage
      Infographics
      Voices
      LINE
      Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
      Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
      主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲精品国产成人片| 又粗又硬又大又爽免费视频播放| 国产成人亚洲综合色影视| 一级毛片免费一级直接观看| 亚洲JIZZJIZZ中国少妇中文| 人妻无码中文字幕免费视频蜜桃| 在线a亚洲v天堂网2018| 久香草视频在线观看免费| 国产亚洲精品福利在线无卡一| 国产免费久久精品99久久| 亚洲色WWW成人永久网址| 97无码人妻福利免费公开在线视频| 久久精品国产99精品国产亚洲性色| 色欲A∨无码蜜臀AV免费播| 亚洲精品成人久久| 毛片a级三毛片免费播放| 亚洲精品无码少妇30P| 免费人成在线观看网站品爱网日本| 午夜在线免费视频| 亚洲va中文字幕无码久久不卡| 99国产精品免费视频观看| 亚洲中文久久精品无码1| 日韩毛片免费在线观看| 免费无遮挡无码视频在线观看| 亚洲中文字幕无码爆乳AV| 99在线观看精品免费99| 亚洲va中文字幕| 亚洲熟妇av一区二区三区| 每天更新的免费av片在线观看 | 亚洲精品9999久久久久无码| 免费大黄网站在线看| a毛片免费全部播放完整成| 亚洲乱人伦精品图片| 国产又黄又爽又刺激的免费网址 | 亚洲一区二区三区国产精品| 日韩免费在线观看视频| 亚洲三级在线播放| 久久久久亚洲精品天堂久久久久久| 99久久免费看国产精品| 国产成人亚洲精品蜜芽影院| 亚洲欧洲日产国产综合网|