Friendly People

When Hong Jianyi, a 70-year-old retiree from Beijing, and his family went on a holiday to Iran in late January, it was an experience that exceeded all his expectations. Hong remembers being hugely impressed by Iran's rich history and its friendly people during his trip, which came before the Spring Festival holiday rush began. A growing number of sophisticated travelers, mostly elderly Chinese, are venturing far out of the country this spring, heading to niche destinations such as Serbia, Morocco and Tunisia, benefiting from lower hotel and flight rates after the Chinese New Year break. Prices of hotel rooms and flight tickets to popular tourist destinations have dropped by nearly 40 percent in March, considered offseason for travel, compared with the Spring Festival period, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency. For tourists aged above 55, the average flying distance exceeds 1,200 kilometers this month, over 30 percent farther than last year, Qunar has found. The proportion of the elderly among all outbound travelers has nearly rebounded to over 9 percent, close to pre-pandemic levels, Qunar said. "March is suitable for spring outings, but it has been an offseason for travel for many years. This year, more travelers have…