In the thousand-year-old Huizhou ancient city in She County, Huangshan, Anhui Province, the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year is still continuing in the first month. In the ancient Doushan Street, three old houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties swept the courtyard to entertain guests under the reflection of big red lanterns. This Hui style homestay is about to welcome a new batch of silver-haired tourists.

Mingtang, corridors, flower windows, gardens... This intangible cultural heritage homestay, which has been carefully renovated, is the first batch of health-care themed homestays in She County. Relying on the cultural and tourism resources of the traditional Chinese medicine Xin'an medical school, combined with the natural environment and historical culture of Huizhou, it mainly provides tourism experience and medical health services for middle-aged and elderly people living there. "Xin'an Medicine originated and inherited in She County. We will regularly invite representative doctors to the B&B to provide customers with health management services such as medical lectures and traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy. At the same time, we will also provide tourism services such as roaming Huizhou ancient city and traditional villages, medicinal diet therapy, etc. that are more suitable for the elderly." Wu Zenghe, a B&B operator, introduced.

Guests experience health care free medical services in a health care themed homestay in She County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Xinhua News Agency reported that Wu Zenghe, who has more than ten years of experience in B&B experience, has increasingly felt in recent years that the enthusiasm for cultural and tourism consumption among the elderly has continued to rise. "Our homestay has just been open for one year and has attracted many retired customers from first-tier cities to come." He said that the demand for health care and travel for middle-aged and elderly people in the cultural tourism market is increasing. "The health care and travel consumer group is about to usher in the '60s' and '70s'. They have the ability and willingness to consume for health care and health care and for a better tourism experience."

The silver-haired economy is showing huge consumption energy year by year in the cultural tourism market. According to data released by the China Tourism Research Institute, the number of silver-haired tourists aged 60 and above in 2023 has reached 1.16 billion, accounting for as much as 20.6% of the total number of domestic tourists. It is estimated that by 2028, the size of the silver-haired tourism market will reach about 2.7 trillion yuan, showing a strong growth momentum. Ctrip statistics show that in 2024, the travel orders of silver-haired people over 50 increased by more than 22% year-on-year, and the frequency of travel for 31% of silver-haired people reached twice that of 2019. Data from China National Railway Group shows that in 2024, the tourist trains organized by the China Railway Group transported more than 1 million tourists, of which the proportion of elderly tourists was close to 80%.

On April 20, 2024, a silver-haired passenger took a special train to travel at Shanghai South Station. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Liu Weixing)

As the living standards steadily improve, health expectations continue to grow, the consumption concepts, needs and abilities of the elderly population are constantly upgrading, and the design of cultural and tourism products exclusive to silver-haired tourists is also constantly innovating, paying more attention to personalization and differentiation, and fully considering factors such as their interests, hobbies, and physical conditions. Tourism products such as health and wellness vacation tourism, rural leisure tourism, senior study tourism, health and medical tourism have emerged, providing more diversified choices for the elderly.

The Ministry of Commerce and nine other units recently issued the "Action Plan on Increased Yinfa Tourism Trains and Promoting the Development of Service Consumption". Focusing on four aspects: increasing the supply of Yinfa Tourism Trains, strengthening the guarantee of elderly-friendly facilities, improving the service level of Yinfa Tourism Trains, and optimizing the development environment of Yinfa Tourism Trains, it proposed that by 2027, a silverfa tourism train product system covering the whole country, with rich and diverse routes, wonderful themes, and comprehensive and thoughtful services will be built. The Yinfa Tourism Train service standard system will be basically established to form a number of themed tourism train brands.

The growth of the market size of the silver hair group has also promoted the upgrading of the accommodation industry. The hotel industry in many places has launched "silent floors" and anti-slip bathrooms and other elderly-friendly designs. Data from Huazhu Group shows that the elderly-friendly house types are very popular in 2024, with an occupancy rate exceeding 90%. In Tankou Village, Yi County at the foot of Huangshan, 12 houses have been transformed into health care homestays with 45 rooms. Not only have the rooms been renovated for aging, but also specially equipped bedside callers, infrared monitors, chip quilts, etc. for elderly tourists, adding medical duty services, and you can call the homestay housekeeper with one click at any time.

The Yinfa Tourism Market has also injected a steady stream of vitality into the development of local economics. It not only promotes the coordinated development of related industries such as accommodation, catering, agricultural and sideline products, and characteristic cultural and creative industries, but also creates more employment opportunities for local residents. It can increase income and become rich at home, becoming an important force in promoting the economic development of the county.

Health and wellness B&B in Tankou Village, Yi County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Xinhua News Agency issued a report by "We connect with about 40 communities in Shanghai to health and wellness tourism services. In addition to organizing tourism routes for the scenic spots in Yi County, we also work with surrounding villages to provide intangible cultural heritage skills experience, traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy, original ecological pastoral experience and other special cultural and tourism products." Jin Shunfang, secretary of the Party Branch of Tankou Village and director of the village committee, said that the 12 health and wellness homestays developed in the village have driven villagers to get rich together. "Many villagers are eager to try and ask whether they can transform their own homes in the future. Houses, join related tourism operations. "

"The rural environment is good and the scenery is good. In addition, the accommodation conditions for newly built health care vacations are getting better and better, as well as medical services. We stay for a while every year, and our bodies and moods are very comfortable." Sun Tian, ​​a tourist from Shanghai, said that he and his wife always meet up with several old friends every year, and live together in the health care resort in the Yangtze River Delta region for a period of time. After returning to Shanghai, they often shop the original ecological agricultural products of the resort online.

From "superior care" to "enjoying old age", the rise of the silver economy is reshaping the logic of the cultural and tourism industry, not only becoming a new engine of economic growth, but also a symbol of social progress.

Reporter: Liu Meizi, Zhu Qing, Zhou Mu

Poster: Liu Xufeng, Xia Yuanyuan