On Double Ninth Festival, silver-haired travelers embrace off-peak tourism: "county-level wellness retreats" search popularity up 203% year-on-year.

October 18 is the Double Ninth Festival, and also the first full weekend after the end of the National Day holiday. As the long holiday wraps up, ticket prices on popular routes have fallen by more than 30% compared with the National Day period, foot traffic at scenic spots has slowed, and the long-dormant silver-haired generation has set out in force, with off-peak travel entering its "golden season" of the year. Data from Qunar shows that in 2026 the average length of a single stay for elderly travelers reached 12.6 days, searches for products related to "county-town wellness retreats" for seniors grew 203% year on year, and popular "county-town wellness retreat" destinations nationwide include Mile in Yunnan, Miyi in Sichuan, Lingshui in Hainan, Tengchong in Yunnan, Chengmai in Hainan, Mangshi in Yunnan, Ledong in Hainan, Jianshui in Yunnan, Dongxing in Guangxi, and Dongshan in Fujian. Searches for hotel products equipped with "age-friendly renovations," "dietary wellness" offerings, and facilities such as mahjong tables and table tennis rooms grew by more than 1.2 times year on year.