Building an Age-Friendly Tourism Environment: Reflections on China's Profound Population Aging

Abstract

China is undergoing a rapid and profound process of population aging, leading to a continuous increase in tourism demand from the elderly population. However, the current level of age-friendliness within the tourism environment falls far short of meeting their specific needs, presenting multiple obstacles such as inconvenient physical environments, misaligned service provisions, difficulties in information access, and insufficient socio-cultural inclusiveness. Set against the backdrop of China's advanced population aging, this study aims to systematically explore the contemporary urgency, core connotations, and key constituent elements of constructing an age-friendly tourism environment. Through an in-depth analysis of the practical dilemmas and deep-seated institutional and mechanistic issues confronting China in the development of such environments, this study, from the macro perspective of social policy, proposes a series of targeted, systematic, and actionable multi-level policy recommendations. These recommendations revolve around crucial dimensions including the enhancement of top-level strategic planning and regulatory standards, the systematic age-appropriate retrofitting of infrastructure, the professionalization and diversification of market supply, the development of inclusive and accessible information environments, the active cultivation of a positive socio-cultural atmosphere, and the strengthening of market regulation and long-term incentive mechanisms. These suggestions are intended to provide theoretical references and policy insights for China to effectively address the challenges of population aging, promote the deep integration and synergistic development of aging-related initiatives and the tourism industry, and comprehensively enhance the well-being of the elderly population. Furthermore, it is hoped that this work will offer valuable Chinese experiences for other countries globally that are facing similar demographic structural transitions.