CCTV News: The world is so big, and the elderly want to go and have a look. By the end of 2024, the population aged 60 and above in my country reached 310.31 million, exceeding 300 million for the first time, accounting for 22.0% of the national population. Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and nine other departments jointly issued the "Action Plan on the Increase of Silver-Haid Tourism Trains to Promote the Development of Service Consumption". 12 key tasks have been proposed in four aspects: increasing the supply of Yinfa tourist train services, strengthening the guarantee of elderly-friendly facilities, improving the service level of Yinfa tourist trains, and optimizing the development environment of Yinfa tourist trains.

Accurately connect with the tourism demands of the elderly, take the high-speed rail to achieve "fast travel and slow travel", so that the elderly can pursue "poetry and distance" more comfortably. In addition to taking the high-speed rail, what are the other characteristics of the elderly’s travel? What industries has silver-haired tourism become popular? When the silver-haired tribe is heading towards "poetry and distant places", how should the cultural and tourism industry take it? The silver-haired train heading to spring

At 8:03 am on February 14, the first silver-haired train in 2025 "Leyou Yangtze River Delta" departed from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Take the Hangzhou-Taiwan High-speed Railway to Xinchang, Shengzhou, and carry elderly tourists to travel in spring, starting a three-day and two-night weekend leisure trip.

Compared with previous train trips, silver trains save the elderly themselves from purchasing tickets and booking hotels. Many silver trains adopt a one-price and all-inclusive fee model, including transportation, accommodation, catering and tickets to most attractions. Avoid the hassle of paying multiple times during travel and the possible additional consumption traps, which saves worry and effort, and the overall cost will be more cost-effective.

In order to ensure the high-quality operation of Yinhai tourist trains, the Shanghai Passenger Transport Section, which is responsible for the duty-taking task, invites professional doctors to provide health publicity and consulting services on the train, and prepares sufficient commonly used medicines on the train. The number of inspections will also increase during the train. If an elderly person is found to be unwell, please come with the medical staff with the train as soon as possible.

It is understood that some medium and long-term tourism trains will be transformed in the near future to ensure the safety and comfort of travel for silver-haired tourists.

Taking the Shanghai Bureau Group of the National Railways as an example, Yinfa Train has developed the "Leyou Yangtze River Delta" series that radiates to the Yangtze River Delta region, as well as medium and long-distance silver-haired tourism train products to Xinjiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Heilongjiang and other directions, and has launched more than 20 high-quality silver-haired tourism routes that are fast and slow, first-line and multi-tour, and adapt to health and leisure. The tour guide on the medium and long-distance travel train will also formulate safety plans based on the characteristics of the silver-haired people. After the Spring Festival, all regions usher in the peak of staggered tourism among the Yinhai tribe

This spring, not only are there silver trains heading to spring, but more and more elderly people choose to travel staggeredly after the Spring Festival. They took planes, long-distance buses, or even drove by themselves, searching for "poetry and distance". After the peak tourist season during the Spring Festival holiday, the staggered travel of the silver-haired people has brought about a series of small tourist peaks.

Just after the Lantern Festival, 74-year-old Wang Xinya, who is in Ziyang, Sichuan, started packing her luggage and preparing to go out for a trip. She said that before the Spring Festival, she compared the quotes from travel agencies at different time periods. The same product was nearly half cheaper than during the Spring Festival.

Statistics from Ctrip, same-city tourism and other platforms show that the average price of air tickets, hotels and group tours in many places after the Spring Festival has dropped significantly compared with the Spring Festival holiday. Air tickets and hotel prices in some popular tourist cities have shrunk significantly, and more economical prices have made many elderly people choose to travel at a distance.

Old man Wang Min, who traveled from Nanping, Fujian to Ji'an, Jiangxi, said that she originally planned to come to Jiangxi for a trip during the Spring Festival. By comparing the travel expenses, she chose to wait and travel after the holiday.

In the Qianyuan Ancient City of Deqing, Zhejiang, the number of tourists decreased significantly after the Spring Festival, which made this ancient city with a history of more than 1,300 years more peaceful. Elderly tourists who travel here can slowly enjoy leisure time. According to statistics, the proportion of elderly tourists traveling to ancient towns after the Spring Festival reached 60%. The silver-haired tourism boom has ushered in new opportunities in areas such as health and entertainment. According to data from the National Aging Commission, the number of silver-haired tourism has accounted for more than 20% of the total number of tourists in the country, and elderly tourism is transforming from a niche market to a mainstream market. The "2024 China Silver Age Tourism Special Report" released by relevant institutions shows that 17.6% of middle-aged and elderly groups travel 3 or more times a year, and 40.8% of middle-aged and elderly people travel once or twice a year. Nowadays, the silver-haired travel boom has not only driven traditional consumption such as transportation and accommodation, but also brought new opportunities in the fields of health and entertainment.

The new wave of silver-haired people traveling activates a new engine for diversified industries

In recent years, self-driving tours have also become a new choice for many elderly people. The consumption of related products such as cars, tents, portable cookware and other products brought by Yinhai people's self-driving tours. At the Chongfu Temple Scenic Area in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province, Li Daming from Beijing said that after retirement, she started a self-driving tour plan, and could take a trip where she could go with her own or car at any time.