(Yicai) Oct. 29 -- China’s growing retiree population has become a major consumer force in the country’s aviation and tourism market, according to a report released by online travel platform Qunar.

So far this year, travelers aged 55 to 70 have flown to 255 cities across China, while their international flight bookings have risen 19 percent year on year, reaching 1,452 overseas destinations -- 110 more than last year, the report released yesterday said.

Domestically, smaller cities with distinctive landscapes or historic sites are increasingly popular among older tourists. The fastest-growing destinations for this group on Qunar’s platform include Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia, Xingtai in Hebei, and Qitai in Xinjiang, where bookings jumped over nine times, almost nine times, and nearly six times, respectively.

For offshore travel, the top 10 destinations were Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, and Macau. Some seniors are venturing even farther afield -- this year, more than 7,600 retirees flew to Uzbekistan, over 2,000 to Peru, and nearly 1,000 to Madagascar, Qunar data showed.

“The rise in China’s elderly population and their growing disposable income will significantly influence the design of future aviation products,” Zhang Jian’en, from the Marketing Center of Chengdu Airlines, told Yicai. He noted that compared with other traveler groups who typically take five to seven-day trips, retirees prefer longer journeys of seven to 15 days, focusing on slow travel and wellness-oriented stays.

Airlines are adapting to this trend. Air China has launched a senior version of its flight pass for travelers aged 60 and above. After purchasing a Senior Benefits Card for CNY499 (USD70), seniors can buy special fare tickets for CNY300 each, with unlimited purchases during the card’s validity period.

Editor: Emmi Laine