(ECNS) -- China announced on Tuesday that it will expand senior-friendly train services to meet the growing travel demand among the elderly.
According to the action plan, the country aims to create a nationwide network of senior-friendly tourism trains by 2027, featuring diverse routes, rich themes, and comprehensive services. By then, the service standards for these trains will be largely established, with a number of themed tourism train brands emerging.
Centering on four major aspects, the initiative outlines 12 key tasks, including encouraging diversified investment, expanding tourism train routes, and enhancing product offerings.
Measures will be implemented to make the trains more elderly-friendly, environmentally sustainable, and comfortable. These enhancements will include onboard medical staff, health monitoring equipment, and specially designed meals tailored to the needs of senior travelers.
As China’s population continues to age and the senior consumer group grows, the expansion of senior-friendly tourism trains is seen as a significant move to innovate tourism services, enhance the well-being of the elderly, and boost service consumption, Kong Dejun, an official from the Ministry of Commerce, said at the press conference held on Tuesday.
A recent blue paper on China’s silver economy estimates the sector’s value at 7 trillion yuan (approximately $957.8 billion), making up about 6 percent of the country’s GDP, with tourism identified as a key growth area.
According to data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., a record 1,860 tourism trains were operated in 2024, the highest number to date.
The tourism trains largely operated along popular routes to destinations such as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces, carrying more than 1 million passengers last year. Senior travelers accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total, making them the dominant customer group in the railway tourism train market.
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