Abstract: China is currently experiencing an aging population, with more than 200 million elderly people that is set to bring about the emergence of a vast consumer market. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly proposes the optimization of the supply of basic elderly services. In this context, the travelling elderly support industry acting as an important supplement to the elderly support industry and a regional pillar industry, is of great significance in enhancing the quality of life of the elderly and promoting regional economic and social development. Guangxi also clearly puts forward its aspiration to become a domestic first-class and internationally renowned livable and recreational resort. This study employs a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats associated with the development of the travelling elderly support industry in Guangxi. Based on this analysis, four strategic combinations are proposed. The four strategies are the SO strategy, the WO strategy, the ST strategy, and the WT strategy.  In addition, in light of the reality of the weak foundation of Guangxi’s current elderly industry and the increasingly diversified demand for the travelling elderly support, this study further proposes that Guangxi’s travelling  elderly support industry should focus on leveraging Guangxi’s strengths in tourism resources and the potential of smart aging development and should preferentially choose the WO strategy. Specifically, the strategy encompasses the following: the promotion of the “Internet + residential care” service model, which is combined with AI intelligent care equipment and “medical and nursing tours”, with the objective of enhancing the innovation and comprehensiveness of senior care services; the support for universities and training institutions in the cultivation of composite talents, as well as the promotion of the wide application of intelligent senior care and health management technologies, with the aim of stimulating the potential for innovation in the industry; and the introduction of external resources to compensate for the lack of an industrial base, with the objective of enhancing the overall service level through the introduction of advanced senior care management experience and technologies through investment promotion and cross-regional cooperation.

Key words: travelling elderly support; SWOT analysis; silver economy; health and wellness industry; rural revitalization

Reprinted from Guangxi Economic Journal, 2024,42(05):30-40.