With a unified standard of Little Red Riding Hood, following the tour guide's small flag and hula-la walking through the streets, it was once a "stereotype" of many people for the elderly group. In today's elderly group, more and more young figures are active.
There are young people who choose "special forces tourism" to check in and achieve a sense of achievement, and there are young people who yearn for "lying flat" slow-paced tourism, and are setting their sights on elderly tourism groups.
"Being ridiculed by a grandfather in his 70s is not good for physical strength"
"I went to Zhejiang with the group for three days, and the whole process cost 500 yuan / person. Early in the morning of the first day, I found that the car was full of elderly people, all to go to Putuo Mountain to burn incense and worship Buddha. I was quite disappointed at first, and I thought that I would definitely not play well, but it turned out to be good. ”
For college student Xiaoke (pseudonym), straying into the elderly group was an accident, but it brought many surprises to her journey. "Grandparents are very kind, very gentle, and take good care of us when we eat."
"When we ate together at noon on the first day, we found that the dishes were not enough, and a grandfather felt that we couldn't eat enough, so he added dishes for us at his own expense and politely asked us how we were eating. On the last day, a grandmother bought oranges to share with us. Xiaoke recalled.
Data map: Tourists take photos of sightseeing in Guilin's Xiangshan Scenic Area. Photo by Tang Mengxian
And the age difference does not create a gap between the old and the young. "They are also very willing to play with us, chat together when climbing, and will care about you." Xiaoke said, "There is a grandfather in his 70s who also ridiculed my physical strength. ”
In addition to the experience of being "fed", the slow-paced journey also made Xiaoke feel very comfortable.
"Our group is very free, get up at seven o'clock in the morning, and can move freely at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, which is very comfortable." She told Zhongxin Finance that she will not be unable to keep up with the "beat" of the elderly: "I usually have a regular schedule at school, and I will get up at six o'clock in the morning to run in the morning." ”
"The price is right, the itinerary is also arranged by the tour guide, and if there is a next opportunity, I am willing to choose the senior group." She said.
"It has to be said that the elderly are more energetic than the young."
However, not all young people can "hold" the old age group. After experiencing a group tour for the elderly, Lulu (pseudonym) of the 90s decisively chose to give up.
"It has to be said that the elderly are more energetic than the young. They woke up at 5 a.m., still energized on the tour bus, in karaoke mode, and I just wanted to sleep. ”
Lulu told Zhongxin Finance that the biggest problem in her difficulty in integrating into the elderly group lies in the work and rest time.
"Old people go to bed earlier at night, we may go out or swipe our mobile phones, go to bed at eleven or twelve o'clock, and the next morning we will not sleep well because of the sound of old people waking up early." She said.
In the elderly group that Lulu participated, the elderly who got up early turned on the karaoke mode on the tourist bus. Photo courtesy of interviewee.
The seniors' schedules even changed the hotel's original arrangement. "Originally, the hotel only opened breakfast at half past seven, but because the old people got up early, the hotel turned out to be open at seven. By the time we went to eat at seven, there was basically nothing to eat. ”
"The biggest advantage of traveling with the elderly group is that it is more worry-free, because the accommodation itinerary arranged by the travel agency is better for food and accommodation. The trip won't be particularly tight either, and it's a little easier. ”
However, Lulu also said: "If you can play with your peers, you can also be faster." ”
"Where are the groups? Please pull me! ”
Zhongxin Finance noticed that in addition to signing up for travel agencies, many young people are also seeking "elderly tourism groups".
"When I was cutting my hair, I heard an aunt next to me chatting with the barber, and I was a little interested and asked her if she could pull me in, and I went in to catch the trip registration on March 17." A netizen shared his experience of joining the "elderly tourism group" on social platforms.
A netizen shared his experience of joining the "elderly tourism group". Screenshot from a social platform.
She said that the elderly groups in the group are mostly short-distance tours, low prices and often give gifts to attract the elderly to sign up, but there will be shopping. "At the end of the one-day trip to Chongzhou, which was less than 100 yuan, I was given 100 eggs, including goose eggs, duck eggs, eggs, and quail eggs."
In this regard, many netizens said enviously in the comment area: "Where is there such a group? Please pull me! ”
Zhongxin Finance has joined a "tourism and wellness group", and the administrator of the group told Zhongxin Finance that they are a comprehensive platform for cooperation with travel agencies. "Some senior groups will have shopping items, but they are not mandatory."
The "old age group" behind the stereotype
Worry-free and slow-paced travel is the main reason why young people choose the elderly group today. Behind people's "stereotypes" of low prices and many shopping spots for elderly groups, the elderly are becoming the main force of tour groups.
According to Ctrip's data, during the May Day holiday, the number of hotel bookings of post-50s and post-60s users increased by nearly 40% compared with the same period in 2019, the number of air ticket bookings was basically the same as the same period in 2019, and the number of ticket bookings increased by more than 1 times compared with the same period in 2019. Custom tours can recover faster than regular group tours.
Infographic: A tour group check-in Hami. Photo by Shi Yujiang
A person in charge of a travel agency told Zhongxin Finance that the current preference of elderly newspaper groups is also becoming diversified. "There are places all over the country, and we generally recommend places with slow rhythms and wellness effects."
And in the elderly group she handled, there were also young people who signed up. "There is no difference in the price of the tour except the ticket price."
With the rise in popularity of elderly tourism, high-end tours for the elderly have gradually increased. Lulu told Zhongxin Finance that the six-day tour group she reported was the so-called "pure play group": "3500 yuan / person, no shopping items." ”
However, in addition to their own suitability with the elderly group, some people said that they were "pitted" by the elderly group. "Being deceived by travel agencies, there is no benefit except cheapness."
The person in charge of the above-mentioned travel agency said that when signing up for a long-distance elderly group, it is still necessary to carefully consider the "low-cost tour": "It is recommended to consider groups of more than 2,000 yuan / person as much as possible when applying for a tour, and there will be fewer shopping points." ”
Source: China News Network