I was looking forward to a trip to the mountains and rivers, but I didn't expect that when I was about to set off, the trip changed. Recently, Mr. Li, a citizen, encountered such a bad thing, and the travel agency refused to allow him to join the tour on the grounds of his age. Is there an age limit for group tours? What are the thresholds for the elderly to travel, and how can we make the elderly travel more happily and smoothly?
Mr. Li, a 74-year-old citizen, recently signed up for a group tour to Guilin, Guangxi Province at a travel agency. After successfully registering and paying the fee, the long-awaited trip was about to start, but I didn't expect to wait for the news that I couldn't join the group.
Mr. Li: The money was also paid, and I was notified of a room with whom, and told me that it was no longer possible, and he said that people would not accept (tour guides), saying that you were old. The contract says that you are over 80 years old and must have a certificate from the hospital. I just turned 74 and it doesn't make sense.
After many complaints and negotiations with the travel agency, Mr. Li's trip to Guilin was finally completed, but the age discrimination he encountered in this tour made him feel like he was in the throat. According to the 2016 "Travel Agency Elderly Tourism Service Specification" issued by the mainland, elderly tourists refer to consumers over the age of 60 (including 60 years old), and there is no restriction on the age of tourists. However, the reporter's offline and online investigations found that travel agencies still set their own age or other thresholds for various reasons. The tour guide of several offline travel agency stores said:
Tour guide: Generally speaking, we accept guests around 75 years old, and they are basically over. For regular trips, we still recommend going with young people. Before the trip, let's do a routine physical examination and provide it to us, so that both parties can feel more at ease.
Tour guide: If you want to say that there is a young man following, you can show you, you can barely walk. As long as it is a person, who is in his 80s, he basically will not pick it up. What if something happens to one person?
Tour guide: Between 65 and 75 years old, for example, if your parents go, we must add WeChat, your WeChat, your phone number must have.
Age restrictions for a travel product on a travel platform
The reporter searched on the online travel platform and found that many domestic travel or on-camera travel products are marked with age restrictions, such as being over 70 years old, and must be accompanied by at least one young relative and friend. A sales agency specializing in group tours in Yunnan said:
Sales: People over 65 years old can be accommodated, but an accompanying person is required. Those over 70 years old need to report, because (the itinerary) is indeed a bit long, and there are more tourists, and the tour guide may not be able to take care of it.
A salesperson for tourism products in Changsha-Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, said that tourists in their 70s must be accompanied by young relatives and friends, and that older people are not welcome to sign up for tours during the Spring Festival.
Sales: Just a young man with you. I'm older, and I'm a little afraid to say the Spring Festival. If you stagger the Spring Festival, it's better to go on weekdays.
The reporter also consulted on the tourism platform during the Spring Festival in Sanya, Hainan Province, which is quite popular, and the customer service of the platform said that to participate in a regular group, over 70 years old must be accompanied by young relatives and friends, and a small group of tours specifically tailored for the elderly, there is also an upper age limit for traveling alone, which is 73 years old. There are age restrictions on domestic and outbound travel, so will the requirements for peripheral tours and one-day tours be relaxed? The reporter randomly consulted a "one-day" route in Beijing, and the customer service staff said:
Customer service: If you are over 60 years old, you need to be accompanied by an adult. Because the content of this product is to climb the Great Wall, considering the body of the elderly, it is still recommended to be accompanied by an adult.
Middle-aged and elderly tourists have become an important source of tourists in the domestic tourism market (source network)
In interviews, safety risks and responsibilities are the most common concerns for travel agencies when it comes to group travel for the elderly. The physical condition of the elderly is generally not as good as that of young people, and the probability of accidents or sudden illnesses is greater during the journey. Quite a number of members of the public said that they could understand the concerns of travel agents in this regard. There are also elderly people who say that age and physical condition are not completely related, and it is unreasonable for travel agencies to set a one-size-fits-all age limit. Aunt Zhao, who traveled to Tibet a few years ago, said:
Aunt Zhao: Some people in their 70s are good at climbing mountains, and some people in their 50s and 60s are not good, which varies from person to person. You don't have to be in good health when you're older. For example, like Tibet, I will be almost 70 years old when I go in 2019, I have no problem, but I can't have altitude sickness when I am young.
Ms. Zhang, 70, who used to participate in outdoor activities when she was young and now travels a lot, believes that it is not her age that matters but her physical condition. Travel agencies should not set restrictions, and tourists should have a correct assessment of their health.
Ms. Zhang: For example, some people in their 70s have a bad heart and have many underlying diseases in all aspects, which is indeed a risk to travel agencies and everywhere. First of all, the person who travels has to be able to evaluate himself.
Liu Simin, vice president of the tourism branch of the China Future Research Association, said that travel agencies have many considerations for the elderly to make age or other relevant restrictions on group tours. As the main body of the market, tourism enterprises actually have the right to choose their own service objects.
Liu Simin: Travel agencies feel that the safety risks of elderly travel are too great, and insurance companies do not have corresponding insurance products to resolve and reduce such risks. The consumption power, willingness to consume and consumption habits of the elderly, if the travel agency infers that it is difficult to benefit from him, then of course they are reluctant to receive it. Travel agency services are not a basic service. As an ordinary market entity, travel agencies believe that they have the right to choose their own service objects. I don't want to accept it, I think it's hard to force it.
In January this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Improving the Well-being of the Elderly", which mentioned that it is necessary to replace age restrictions with health conditions, improve relevant regulations to facilitate the travel of the elderly, improve the complaint and reporting mechanism and strengthen supervision. Song Changyao, director of the Department of Tourism Management at Beijing Second Foreign Language Chinese College, said that for travel agencies, directly limiting age is the easiest way to do it, but it may lead to consumer discrimination and loss of potential customers. It is necessary to implement the "replacement of age constraints with health conditions".
Song Changyao: In fact, the most important thing is to hope that the level of travel agencies can reduce their information asymmetry for tourism consumer groups. There is also the establishment of tourism culture, especially some emergencies, which require some rational responses from elderly families.
The General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Improving the Well-being of the Elderly"
There are nearly 300 million elderly people in the mainland, and with the continuous improvement of the level of economic and social development, the consumption power of the elderly and the demand for improving the quality of life are constantly increasing, and the development potential of the elderly tourism market is huge. However, in the reporter's investigation and interview, in addition to the age threshold, the elderly also face other problems, such as forced shopping consumption, low-price group traps, membership routines, and insufficient facilities for the elderly. How should these problems be solved? How can we make the elderly travel more happily and smoothly? Song Changyao believes that we should start from various aspects to promote the healthy development of the tourism market for the elderly.
Song Changyao: First, in the development of products, we should further explore tourism products suitable for the elderly. Second, in the supply of service facilities, it is necessary to introduce automation facilities that are friendly to the elderly. Third, in terms of market supervision, it is necessary to attach importance to the protection of the consumer rights and interests of the elderly groups, and severely crack down on fraudulent activities targeting the elderly groups. Fourth, further improve insurance awareness, increase the density of national insurance, and explore innovative travel insurance products, which is actually helpful for the healthy development of the entire tourism industry and the extension of the tourism industry chain.
Although it is good to play, you must also do what you can. Experts remind that elderly friends should reasonably assess their physical condition before traveling with a group; choose a travel agency with complete qualifications and high reputation, choose regular or mainstream tourism products as much as possible, and do not blindly stare at gimmicks such as low prices and free group fees; when signing a travel contract with a travel agency, it is necessary to pay attention to whether you agree to join a group, whether to buy accident insurance and other details. If there is a dispute and negotiation fails, it is necessary to complain to the local consumer association in a timely manner and protect its legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.
Reporter: Lu Yao
Editor: Lu Yao
Editor-in-Chief: Zhu Laisheng