Heilongjiang draws overseas seniors for spas and therapies

A niche market has developed for the eldercare industry in Heilongjiang province, as the northeast China area has seen increasing numbers of senior citizens from Russia and South Korea traveling to the region after their retirement.

Last year, about 650,000 pensioners made their way to Heilongjiang province to travel and take services such as hotsprings therapies and traditional Chinese medicine therapies, as well as to go to spas. This year, the number of older visitors it received has exceeded 1 million and the business has continued to heat up, according to the local government.

Heihe, a city in Heilongjiang province, plans to foster a new source of economic growth by launching a high-end traveling route that combines taking volcanic hot springs and visits to the city, as well as visits to the city of Blagoveshchensk - less than 1.6 kilometer away across the dividing Heilong River (Black Dragon River), or Amur river - in Russia.