Dai Bin | New vitality of the silver economy: from "staying at home" to "poetry and distance"

Recently, Dai Bin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Tourism Academy, accepted an exclusive interview with "Study Power China" and interpreted the new trends and new guarantees for elderly people's travel under the silver wave. The full text is shared as follows:

"When it comes to elderly tourism, the first two words that come to my mind are vitality!" The silver economy has spawned new business formats and new opportunities. "Currently, a group of elderly people who have knowledge, ability, time and willingness to go out are becoming the main group of self-driving tourism and travel and health care."

During the 2025 National Two Sessions, Dai Bin, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Tourism Research Institute, interpreted the new trends and new guarantees for elderly travel under the silver wave in an exclusive interview with the "Study Strong China" reporter.

From the Hulunbuir prairie to the "318 Must Drive in This Lifetime", from the Erhai Lake in Yunnan to the beaches in Hainan, mountains, deserts, islands, and glaciers, more and more elderly people are no longer confined to the places where they have lived for many years, but are holding the steering wheel of their later life in their own hands, and the traces of wheels are all over the country. They are no longer limited to the traditional home-based elderly care model, and their lives are no longer just about "holding grandchildren" and "taking care of children". Instead, they actively go out of the house to experience different city fireworks, to depict the ideal rural landscape, and to pursue the beauty of life and the scenery in the distance. "Places like Moganshan in Deqing, Zhejiang, Dongshan Island in Fujian, Dali and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan have formed several typical travel and health care gathering places, and many elderly people have their own "second homes" or even "first homes." They happily serve as migratory birds "south in winter and north in summer", freely shuttling between their permanent cities and places of residence, showing the unique vitality of contemporary elderly people.

Special train for senior citizens: considerate service helps you travel with peace of mind

To meet the growing demand for elderly tourism, the new business model of silver-haired tourism trains has emerged. The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China Railway Corporation and other nine departments recently jointly issued the "Action Plan on Increasing the Number of Silver-haired Tourism Trains to Promote the Development of Service Consumption", encouraging all walks of life to join in the transformation of a batch of green-skinned trains - silver-haired tourism trains are not only equipped with sleeper cars, luggage cars, dining cars and barrier-free facilities, but also equipped with medical cars and entertainment and social cars. Member Dai Bin explained: "This fully considers the actual needs of the elderly for 'slow travel' and 'roaming', and also comforts their deep feelings for green-skinned trains that they still have in the high-speed rail era." Such silver-haired trains create a comfortable, convenient and fun travel environment for the elderly, making the "slow time" on the train a pleasant space for the elderly to show their talents, experience intangible cultural heritage, and interact with each other.

Market and technology: two-way empowerment of elderly tourism

"The booming elderly tourism market has not only made the tourism market more solid, but also promoted the innovation and upgrading of the tourism industry." Dai Bin, a member of the committee, said that the two-way efforts from the supply side and market demand can further stimulate the potential of the elderly special tourism market. On the one hand, the government provides route subsidies to some airport cities with small annual passenger throughput. Travel agents can use this part of the subsidy to facilitate consumers and attract more elderly people to travel; on the other hand, the destination government also provides many preferential policies for the alliance of the silver-haired tourism special train, such as accommodation subsidies, free tickets and corresponding reception courtesies. At the same time, the "one province, one train" railway tourism special policy launched by the state has been strongly supported by the Ministry of Transport and the China Railway Group. Through measures such as railway timetable adjustment, green trains are fully utilized to carry elderly special tourism to ensure that the transportation needs of elderly tourism are fully met.

Speaking of technology empowering the cultural tourism market, Dai Bin, a member of the committee, is optimistic about the entry of modern technologies such as robots and robot dogs into the tourism industry. He said that although it will take time for new things such as AI digital tourism, elderly care robots, and unmanned low-altitude aircraft to fully enter the lives of the public, the technological revolution and the update of equipment and gear have brought profound changes to the way of tourism. "Tourism practitioners should see that the future has come, whether they accept it or not." However, machines cannot completely replace "person-to-person, face-to-face" services. It is hoped that tourism workers and science and technology workers will strengthen exchanges, adhere to the principle of "technology for good", and jointly explore the actual application scenarios of technology in tourism, so as to provide more convenient and personalized services for tourists such as the elderly.

Supervision and protection: protecting the rights and interests of elderly tourism consumption

It is worth noting that while the silver economy is showing vitality, the elderly may also encounter consumption traps and unhappy journeys due to information asymmetry. In this regard, Commissioner Dai Bin emphasized the importance of joint law enforcement, reminding the elderly to strengthen the review of travel agency qualifications before departure, especially outbound travel qualifications. Regulatory authorities should also focus on the "live broadcast with goods" sales of travel products on Internet platforms and social media to prevent market violations behind some accounts and short videos that cannot provide qualified travel agency services, infringing on consumer rights. For phenomena such as forced buying and selling, inducing consumption, adding consumption items without authorization, self-driving without service, and price "backstabs", market regulatory authorities, price departments, and cultural and tourism departments need to strengthen joint law enforcement, impose severe penalties on such behaviors, and pave a comfortable and secure journey for elderly travelers.

"In the future, the tourism industry will develop in the direction of high tourist satisfaction, new development momentum, strong competitiveness of market players and great international influence." Inclusive tourism will also reach more urban and rural residents, and tourism activities including rural residents, the elderly and the disabled will be promoted accordingly.

Don’t say it’s too late, the sky is still full of clouds. The silver economy will stir up more dynamic waves in the new era, rushing forward with people’s yearning for a better life, and injecting continuous power into China’s modernization drive.

Source | Xuexi Qiangguo reporter | Zhang Yufu, Ren Xiaoxu, Wang Jinjin Editor | Liu Xin Please indicate the source for reprinting