On April 2, at the roundtable session “The Real Needs, Hidden Costs, and Premium Logic of Senior Travel” during the 2026 TravelDaily Digital Intelligence Conference · Shanghai, Echo Zeng, Planning Director at TravelDaily, moderated a discussion with Ping Li, General Manager of Shanghai Dongli Retirement Club, and Qihao Cai, Assistant General Manager of Shanghai Dongjiao State Guest Hotel. The session explored the travel needs of senior consumers, product design, pricing logic, and repeat-purchase strategies, offering practical insights for product and operational innovation across the industry.
Li first pointed out that the industry’s understanding of the senior segment still lags behind reality: “The generation born in the 1940s and 1950s is no longer the primary group we serve. Today, the people we are really serving are those born in the 1960s and 1970s.”
In her view, this generation has undergone a fundamental shift in consumption attitudes: “They are no longer looking for the lowest possible price, but are clearly pursuing quality.”
According to Li, Dongli Retirement Club has around 3 million registered members in Shanghai. Among them, thousands spend more than about RMB 400,000 （around USD 60,000） a year on the platform, while sizable groups also spend over RMB 200,000, RMB 100,000, and RMB 50,000 annually.
Therefore, she believes the issue is not a lack of spending power, but a lack of products that can truly match it.
Cai summarized it as: “Make it effortless, reassuring, and worry-free for them.”
In his view, senior consumers are willing to pay premium prices not for any single standout feature, but to reduce decision-making costs and travel risks. “As long as the touchpoints are well designed and they don’t have to worry, the model works.”
