A conference of dialogue on world senior tourism is held on May 24. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"The number of people over 60 in Shandong exceeded three million in 2018, accounting for 22 percent of the whole population of the province," said Zhang Mingchi, deputy director-general of Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, in an interview at the second World Senior Tourism Congress (WSTC) in Yantai on May 24.

"The senior market has a huge population base and contains enormous potential. Senior tourism will bring us new development opportunities."

The second WSTC, featuring senior tourism products and senior study tour research, gathered some 1,200 representatives from over 40 countries to explore the future development trends of senior travel and provide an official platform for carrying out senior tourism cooperation and study tour activities, aiming to unlock the full economic potential of the aging population.

Shandong, home of Confucius, is now setting a new benchmark for global senior tourism, with the province pressing ahead to establish a world senior tourism union that integrates the resources of worldwide universities for the aged.

In 2018, the aging population exceeded 250 million, which is both a challenge and an opportunity for society. The promotion of senior tourism will not only inject new momentum into economic development, but promote person-to-person cultural exchange.