On October 11, 2024, the 2nd Xi'an International Senior Care Industry Expo, co-hosted by the Xi'an Municipal People's Government and the Shaanxi Provincial Civil Affairs Department, grandly opened at the Xi'an International Exhibition Center. Among the key activities of the expo, the "Qinling Mountain Residence-Based Elderly Care Cooperation Exchange Meeting," organized by the School of Architecture, was successfully held on the afternoon of the 11th at Forum Area 2, Hall 1 of the Xi'an International Exhibition Center. Professor Ding Hua from the School of Architecture served as the overall lead for organizing this exchange meeting.
Conference scene
The exchange meeting focused on the theme of "Travel-Resort Elderly Care," addressing core topics such as enriching travel-resort elderly care models, expanding tourism service sectors, creating travel-resort demonstration areas, promoting inter-provincial communication and cooperation, and establishing cooperation mechanisms. The aim was to explore the development path and strategies of the travel-resort elderly care industry, with a goal to promote its high-quality growth through government guidance, social participation, and market-driven approaches. The meeting aimed to provide a richer, more diverse, and high-quality travel-resort product and service for the elderly, and to create a travel-resort elderly care-friendly social development environment.
Zhang Kechun, Second-Level Inspector of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He emphasized the rapid development of travel-resort elderly care, calling for discussions on various models of travel-resort elderly care, industry sectors, and inter-provincial communication, and encouraged extensive discussions, exchanges, and suggestions on how to promote the industry. Li Hairong, Second-Level Inspector of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, also attended the meeting. Industry experts from both inside and outside the province were invited to deliver keynote speeches at the exchange meeting.
Zhang Kechun's Speech
Professor Zhang Hui, Deputy Director of the Expert Committee of the World Tourism Cities Federation, and a member of the "14th Five-Year Plan" Expert Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, thoroughly analyzed the connotations of leisure retirement. He explained the development logic and future trends of leisure retirement, providing relevant suggestions. He emphasized that with market expansion and service upgrades, it is urgent to improve the leisure retirement product system, balance supply and demand relationships, and increase investment in facilities.
Professor Ding Hua, an outstanding expert from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, a member of the Shaanxi Decision-making Advisory Committee, and a professor at the School of Architecture, focused on the market characteristics of "residential tourism for the elderly." He pointed out that the main markets currently include "migratory bird-type" living, as well as seaside resorts for avoiding the heat and cold. He also highlighted the rapid rise of emerging markets and rural areas for residential tourism.
Moreover, he emphasized that the key market demands include information supply, convenient living, senior-friendly equipment, health and wellness projects, and safety guarantees. Lastly, he discussed the future development of the residential tourism market for the elderly.
Professor Wang Xiaofeng, an expert from the Standardization Committee of the Chinese Scientific Exploration Association and a professor at Shaanxi Normal University, emphasized how "incremental growth, quality improvement, and empowerment" of residential tourism for the elderly can contribute to the silver economy in Shaanxi. He proposed increasing the quantity and variety of residential tourism products for the elderly in Shaanxi, enhancing the quality of these products and services, and promoting the development of the silver economy through four key areas: culture, technology, talent, and the market.
Professor Wang Xiaofeng's speech
Expert Cui Ninggao, a senior engineer at Shaanxi Tourism Design Institute, also an expert from the China Tourism Public Opinion Think Tank and China Tourism Scenic Area Association, delivered a presentation titled "New Forms of Health and Wellness Industry — Development Path of Homestay Health and Wellness." He elaborated on the three-dimensional nature of health and wellness, which includes health care, elderly care, and wellness, and analyzed both the national and Shaanxi provincial policy background. He provided several suggestions, including adapting homestay wellness to local conditions, enriching product offerings, enhancing experiences, leveraging technology, and constructing a well-rounded system.
Senior Engineer Cui Ning's speech
Professor Guo Yajun, Senior Project Expert of the Asian Development Bank and Director of the MBA Education Center at Northwest University, delivered a speech discussing the transformation of elderly tourism and retirement living from a trend to an emerging industry. He emphasized the need to establish a collaborative mechanism, develop service norms and standards for elderly tourism and retirement services, optimize resource allocation, and foster the development of related projects and business models. Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of integrating elderly tourism and retirement living with medical care, tourism, and education sectors, and suggested that government support and encouragement of social capital investment are crucial for the growth of this industry.
Professor Liu Hao, a National Registered Urban and Rural Planner, member of the Expert Database of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and expert in the Shaanxi Provincial Rural Revitalization Bureau's cadre training system, delivered a speech titled "Rural Tourism and Living Health Care." He discussed national and provincial policies and resource conditions regarding the development of rural tourism and elderly care, and proposed specific measures including strengthening the elderly health care system, developing age-friendly tourism products, innovating development models, and improving the service quality of the silver economy.
Professor Liu Hao's speech
Wu Ning, the President of the Shaanxi Province Tourism and Elderly Care Industry Association, focused on the underlying logic of "Travel and Care in Shaanxi." He analyzed the advantages of Shaanxi's tourism development from four perspectives: cultural heritage, geographical location, ecological benefits, and transportation advantages. He proposed that future development should focus on four directions, and that projects and business models should be developed around the themes of "food, accommodation, entertainment, movement, therapy, health care, learning, and utilization." Additionally, he emphasized the importance of establishing and leveraging the "Travel in Shaanxi" platform to promote the development of elderly care tourism in the province.
President Wu Ning’s Speech
After the speeches, the Qinling Tourism and Elderly Care Cooperation Forum proceeded to the promotion session. Duan Yue, a promoter of Xi'an Cultural Tourism, introduced "Chang'an in Tang Poems." Han Yuanli, President of the Guangxi Health Industry Association, shared experiences of tourism-based elderly care in Guangxi. Professor Chen Lei from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology discussed the medical tourism practices at the Bo'ao Shama Impression Town in Hainan, while Ma Xue, Deputy Leader of the Ningxia Health and Elderly Care Association, explored the new trends in elderly care.
Group photo with the experts
The expert presentations at the conference were both focused and practical, combining theory with real-world application. The promotion session also facilitated valuable inter-provincial exchanges. Overall, the conference was highly successful, receiving widespread praise from all participants. It is hoped that with the combined efforts of the government, experts, scholars, and businesses, the travel-based elderly care industry will continue to expand and evolve.
The College of Architecture has conducted significant research into elderly care facility layouts, the renovation of aging facilities, and other related topics. They contributed to the development of the "Basic Standards for Reception Services in Elderly Care Institutions (MZ/T188-2021)" for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and participated in formulating provincial policies on travel-based elderly care. The College has accumulated notable achievements in the field of elderly care. Going forward, it will continue to focus on aligning industry development with societal needs, integrating innovative academic research with market trends, and using research outcomes to promote the development of an aging society, ultimately fostering an elderly-friendly environment.
