The Ministry of Commerce and 9 other units recently issued the Action Plan on Increasing the Operation of Silver Hair Tourism Trains to Promote the Development of Service Consumption. What are the considerations for implementing this action plan? What is the current status of silver tourism trains in China? What conveniences will the addition of silver haired tourist trains bring to the elderly? The Ministry of Commerce, together with relevant units, held a special press conference on the 11th to respond to external concerns. In recent years, tourist trains have continued to develop and their service quality has been continuously improved, which has been favored by 'silver haired' tourists. Currently, China's aging population continues to deepen, and the elderly consumer group continues to expand. The addition of silver hair tourism trains has a positive significance for innovating tourism service supply, enhancing the well-being of the elderly, and expanding service consumption Kong Dejun, Director of the Service Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said. What is the Silver Hair Tourist Train? How is the current operation situation? Zhu Wenzhong, Deputy Director of the Passenger Transport Department of China Railway Group, introduced that tourist trains can be customized according to the travel needs of tourist groups, with characteristics and advantages such as flexible routes, multi-point connections, sightseeing on the way, accompanying passengers, day and night travel. Among them, the Silver Hair Tourist Train is mainly developed for elderly customers, meeting their specific needs and operating mainly for elderly customers. It is reported that China Railway Group will organize and operate a total of 1860 tourist trains in 2024, which is the largest number of trains in history and an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2019. The main directions of operation are concentrated in popular tourist destinations and routes such as Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang, transporting more than 1 million tourists. Through big data analysis, elderly tourists account for nearly 80%, becoming the main customer group in the railway tourism train market. Kong Dejun said that in recent years, relying on the advantages of railway resources, tourist trains have maintained rapid development, and brand tourist trains such as "Panda Express", "Hulunbuir Express", and "Silk Road Dream Enjoyment Express" have been continuously launched. The number of tourist trains operating on the entire railway in 2024 will increase by 47% and 20% respectively compared to 2019 and 2023. However, the overall tourism train market in China is still in the development stage, with a relatively low proportion of the number and carrying capacity of tourism trains. With the expansion of the elderly population and the release of demand for cultural and tourism consumption, the development potential of silver haired tourism trains is enormous. What are the schedules and route maps for each department to add silver hair tourism trains? The action plan proposes 12 key tasks around four aspects: increasing the supply of silver tourism train services, strengthening the guarantee of aging friendly facilities, improving the service level of silver tourism trains, and optimizing the development environment of silver tourism trains. Build a new development pattern for silver tourism trains in three years Zhu Wenzhong said that China Railway Group plans to design more than 100 high-quality railway silver tourism routes by 2027, create 160 sets of elderly friendly special trains for silver tourism, and achieve a scale of over 2500 silver tourism trains. According to the goal of "one province, one train", launch a batch of high-quality railway silver tourism routes. Equip a professional aging friendly service management team, innovate aging friendly service projects, and improve train medical care services. Promoting cooperation between silver tourism trains and tourist attractions is an important step in improving the service level of silver tourism trains. Man Hongwei, Director of the Resource Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said that he will guide various regions to launch more elderly tourism routes, connect more tourist attractions that showcase the natural and cultural characteristics of each region, and enhance the attractiveness of silver haired tourism train products. On the basis of implementing preferential policies for the elderly, guide tourist attractions in various regions to introduce more preferential measures for silver haired tourism trains, such as launching ticket combination products such as railway and tourist attraction packages. Support tourist attractions in various regions to provide convenient services such as admission and transportation connections for elderly tourists, in order to enhance their travel experience. The document proposes to include the aging, greening, and comfort transformation of silver tourism trains in the scope of large-scale equipment updates and consumer goods trade in support. Liu Ming, Director of the Social Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that relevant departments will conduct in-depth and systematic investigations into old trains that are idle, inefficient, and have the potential for renovation, in order to truly understand their situation. On this basis, develop a detailed and actionable renovation plan. Especially based on the actual needs of the elderly tourist group, targeted upgrades and renovations have been made to lighting, handrails, seats, toilets, etc., making the train truly suitable and convenient for the elderly. In the application for large-scale equipment renewal projects, the Silver Tourism Train will be the focus of support in the field of culture and tourism, and the extra long term special treasury bond funding support will be increased. Can only elderly people ride the silver haired tourist train? The Silver Hair Tourist Train is aimed at passengers of all ages Kong Dejun said that adding silver hair tourism trains is a measure to further improve aging friendly facilities and services on the basis of serving consumer groups of all ages, enhance the inclusiveness of tourism trains for elderly passengers, and improve the well-being of the elderly. Welcome everyone to take the silver haired tourist train with the elderly and children, and share the joy of family on the train. He also stated that increasing the number of silver haired tourist trains will not occupy peak passenger transportation periods such as the Spring Festival travel rush. The elderly have relatively ample time and flexible arrangements. The addition of silver haired tourist trains is based on this characteristic, making full use of non peak passenger transportation hours to provide more and better tourism travel services. Zhu Wenzhong said that currently, China Railway Group is studying and revising the management measures for tourist trains, and plans to adopt more flexible differentiated pricing strategies based on seasonal differences in tourism demand, especially increasing discounts during the off-season to encourage more silver haired groups to travel during off peak hours. (New Society)