Harbin: China's silver economy is experiencing a transformative shift from basic support to quality consumption, focusing on personal experience and attentive service. This evolution is creating new opportunities for healthcare tourism, as highlighted by Han Hua, vice president of the China Association of Social Welfare and Senior Service.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Han shared these insights at the "Integrated Development of Healthcare Tourism and the Silver Economy" forum during the 2025 Entrepreneurs Sun Island Annual Conference in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. She was joined by scholars, experts, and senior care representatives to discuss this burgeoning economic sector.
Driven by policy support, market demand, and technological innovation, China's elderly care services have expanded rapidly, fueling significant growth in the silver economy. Currently valued at approximately 7 trillion yuan (about 980 billion U.S. dollars), the silver economy is projected to reach 30 trillion yuan by 2035.
With increasing demand for senior-oriented services, healthcare tourism is positioned at the intersection of the silver economy and the health industry. It has become a key means to enhance elderly well-being and drive high-quality economic growth.
Han emphasized the symbiotic relationship between healthcare tourism and the silver economy, noting how healthcare tourism stimulates consumption across various industries such as transportation, accommodation, catering, healthcare, and cultural sectors. This, in turn, unlocks underutilized assets, boosts employment, and generates sustained economic output.
Strengthened local economies enhance supporting infrastructure, including transport, medical facilities, and cultural amenities, making healthcare tourism a significant contributor to regional development. Currently, healthcare tourism accounts for nearly 20 percent of silver economy consumption, with annual sector growth estimated at 15 to 20 percent.
Song Shouyi, director general of the Kangyang Branch of the China Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, highlighted how senior healthcare tourism is reshaping China's tourism landscape. Senior travel has evolved from compensatory trips to mainstream consumption, while projects are shifting from resource-driven to service-driven collaborative models.
Future projects should pivot from large-scale and all-inclusive models to smaller, specialized offerings targeting niche demographics. Opportunities lie in chronic disease management, cultural engagement for educated retirees, and evolving intergenerational support structures.
Du Peng, dean of the School of Population and Health and director of the Institute of Gerontology at Renmin University of China, noted improving conditions for healthcare tourism. These include stronger market foundations, refined policies, shifting consumption patterns, and growing acceptance of positive aging mindsets.
He emphasized China's transition into a "longevity society," urging local authorities to develop big data platforms for smart elderly care services and promote urban-rural integration to bolster both social welfare and the sustainability of the silver economy.
While the silver economy encompasses well-being enhancement, economic growth, and social development, improving people's livelihoods remains fundamental. By tangibly raising seniors' quality of life and dignity, and extending these benefits across society, China can fully unlock the consumption potential of healthcare tourism and related silver economy sectors.