Surge in vacationing Chinese seniors drives travel business

Domestic and overseas travel have seen a sharp boost in the past decade, as groups of freshly retired Chinese senior citizens with abundant time and financial support enter the country's tourism market.

According to the China National Committee on Aging, as the country has gradually grown older, it is expected that by the end of 2013 the number of older Chinese individuals will reach 202 million, with the population estimated to hit 248 million by 2020.

Among this expanding and sizable social group, men, 60 to 75 years old, and women, 55 to 75, whose health condition would allow both short and relatively long-term travel, are potential targets of travel agencies who eye this emerging and fast-growing market.