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 embarked on their journeys in March, especially for outbound trips," said Xiao Peng, a researcher at the big data research institute of Qunar. "The increase in passenger volumes indicates strong demand, and the falling prices of flight tickets and hotels have significantly stimulated demand."

"The booking volumes of outbound travel by elderly consumers have surged compared with the same period last year, indicating that the capacity of outbound flights and overseas receptions has gradually recovered, and elderly Chinese are showing a strong willingness to spend," Xiao said.

A large number of elderly Chinese born in the 1960s are tech-savvy. Online bookings and languages are not barriers for them, and more than 80 percent of such elderly customers travel without being accompanied by their children, Xiao added.

The number of travel bookings by children and students under the age of 25 has declined, while the growth in bookings has been most significant for middle-aged and elderly travelers, Qunar said.

Thanks to visa-free policies for Chinese visitors, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore rank among the top five overseas destinations in terms of flight booking volumes in March, and the number of Chinese travelers who booked flight tickets a few days in advance has significantly increased, Qunar said.