Those who have working kids, will travel

Beijing's Wu Xiaofan, 35, is what many may consider an ideal Chinese daughter. Early November, Wu gifted her parents, both aged 60+, a 20,000-yuan ($3,134) 10-day tour of Japan covering Tokyo and Kyoto.

The gift was her way of giving back, or saying "thank you". "My parents, who worked hard for years, deserve an enjoyable life in their old age," said Wu, who could not accompany them due to job commitments.

Her parents enjoyed the views and visits to historic places in Japan, she said. Only, they thought the tour was too expensive. More than 60 percent of the respondents in a survey by the China Youth Daily Social Survey Center said they will be happy to buy group tour packages for their aging parents.

A survey by Ctrip.com International Ltd, China's largest online travel agency, showed almost 70 percent of the working children with aging parents are unable to accompany the latter on foreign trips.

For travel firms, that is not a problem but an opportunity. They arrange everything for parents and take good care of them on such children-funded tours, said Dai Yu, marketing director of Ctrip. In choosing to gift such tours to parents, working children are showing they are both "cautious and audacious", Dai said.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Chinese residents aged 60 or above was 202 million in 2013. It will nearly double to around 400 million by 2050. In the first half of 2015, Ctrip served more than 200,000 travelers aged 60 or above. Their number is believed to have increased since, but still is a small part of Ctrip's overall record of 20 million outbound person-trips in 2014.

Industry insiders say a majority of senior citizens pick nearby destinations, particularly those in the northern hemisphere. "The flight duration is a concern," said Wang Zhenyue, head of the direct marketing department of Beijing UTour International Travel Service Co.

Unlike the young generation, who spend a lot of time shopping during foreign trips, senior citizens prefer to experience local folk costumes and culture.

Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo are the top five popular destinations among senior travelers from the Chinese mainland, according to Ctrip. They also prefer short-haul trips in the domestic market.

In November, travelers who are 60+ accounted for more than 30 percent of Ctrip's domestic market, up from less than 10 percent during the seven-day National Day in October. Like their counterparts in developed countries, Chinese senior citizens are turning to cruises whose gentle pace and onboard services suit them.

"They are one of the most important target consumers for us, both in China and globally," said Liu Zinan, president of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd for China and North Asia. The world's second-largest cruise operator deployed its most advanced liner, the 168,000-ton Quantum of the Seas, in the China market in July. Its packages are priced higher than other cruises on offer in China. Yet, the liner is almost fully booked. "Usually, children pay the bills," Liu said.

Royal Caribbean Cruises plans to run five cruises from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam next year, Liu said. The mostly short-haul routes last six to eight days and suit aging travelers, more so because they do not need to transfer to other transport modes. Statistics from Ctrip show 35 percent of its aging travelers took cruises in 2014 and the figure rose to 40 percent in the first three quarters of this year.