Older travelers keen on Double Ninth Festival trips

Seniors' passion for travel, unleashed in late August when concerns about COVID-19 abated in China, peaked over the weekend with the Double Ninth Festival falling on Sunday, travel agencies said.

Qunar, an online travel agency headquartered in Beijing, said in a recent report that trip reservations by senior travelers made on its platform from Oct 9 to 21 for the festival, a traditional day to show respect to the elderly, had recovered to over 80 percent of the level at the same time last year.

The latest data from Lvmama, another online travel agency, shows that tour package reservations for the elderly over the festival weekend were up 13 percent from the previous weekend.

Qunar said over 30 percent of its elderly users chose to travel with their spouses and 24 percent with their children. About 20 percent went on a trip with friends.

The elderly also preferred economical group tours.

Lvmama said they paid around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan ($299 to $448) per person for their trips and usually chose products offering fourto five-night stays.

Their favorite destinations, according to the travel agencies, were mainly seaside ones or those with some cultural significance.

Sanya, Hainan province, which is famous for its beaches, topped their wish list this year, while destinations including Chengdu, Sichuan province, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, and Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan province were also popular.

Lvmama said the elderly travel boom over the festival weekend was mainly because prices were lower and crowds were smaller than during the National Day holiday at the start of the month.

It reminded tour operators to keep a close eye on the health of elderly travelers during their trips.

"First is social distancing. It's encouraged to keep a safe distance from other people in the group," it said. "Temperature checks and wearing masks are also necessary to ensure safe travel."