Why retirees are the future of China’s outbound tourism market

Over-65s make up a fast-growing segment of China’s vast outbound travel market – and they tend to be big spenders

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Retirees make up a fast-growing segment of China’s vast outbound tourism market. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00am, 31 Mar 2025

Chinese retiree John Wang, 74, has travelled abroad to five countries, and took a particular shine to the United Kingdom. He liked the public parks dotting the centres of British cities – and even praised the country’s public transport network.

“The environment was good and living was convenient,” said the Beijing resident, who relies on his English-speaking relatives to communicate when overseas. “The green spaces are big, and there are places like supermarkets where you can freely take a rest.”

Retirees like Wang represent a huge opportunity for global travel companies, as millions of well-off Chinese baby boomers hit retirement age and start jetting off around the world in search of new cultural experiences.

Over-60s are already a fast-growing segment of China’s vast outbound tourism market, and they tend to be big spenders, travel operators said. Unlike earlier generations in China, they are often retiring with generous pensions and large asset portfolios built up over decades of saving.

That allows them to splash out on relatively long trips, giving them time to immerse themselves in new cultures, rather than hopscotching from one highlight to another over just a few days as younger tourists often do.

We had a planned economy when I was young, so my spending power is definitely stronger now. Today’s lifestyle and that of the past are totally different

John Wang, Beijing retiree

“The silver group is a new blue-sky segment that the outbound tourism market should focus on,” business consultancy Dragon Trail International said in January, after completing a market survey that found elderly travellers represent a “vast untapped market”.