Listen to this articleBy WANG ZHUOQIONG | China Daily
Chinese parents have extended the extracurricular activities of their children to summer vacations, as tourism packages involving study trips and experimental program participation have seen a sharp rise recently thanks to growing demand for pursuing increasingly versatile academic subjects, industry insiders said.
Summer study trips to destinations both at home and abroad have grown rapidly, propelled by family travelers seeking in-depth tourism programs to broaden their outlooks and experience different cultures, said Li Mengran, a public relations official at Utour World, a Beijing-based tourism platform.
Domestic sightseeing venues, including Guizhou province, Anyang of Henan province, and maritime provinces, have been among the most popular for parents and their children, with easier access to nature, including hiking trips and experimental programs such as papermaking and wax printing.
As for overseas destinations, Singapore has become the No 1 destination for study trips this summer, where many participating students from China have enrolled in university classes, brushing up on subjects such as robotics, programming and environmental science, Li said.
“Domestic study trips have sold more than 30 percent more than that of last year, as we have offered diversified programs at more destinations,” Li said.
She added that study trips and skills training camps have become increasingly professional and varied after years of development. For example, some students head to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada to learn English, others fly overseas to enroll in basketball, football and golf camps, while many simply take to the skies to tour countries and learn about different cultures.
“Study-trip related resources such as concert halls, universities, libraries and museums are in higher demand, while talent in guilds, museums and research team leaders are increasingly sought after,” Li said.
A Beijing Times survey found that as of June 14, family trips had made up to 30 percent of total summer tourism reservations, up sevenfold from a year earlier and reaching pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019. Tourism packages related to history and culture, the great outdoors and nature exploration, as well as science and technology are the hottest commodities. In terms of duration, day trips and trips that last around a week are bestsellers. Tourism packages for family travel and study purposes averaged about 6,000 yuan ($828.5) per person.
On travel platform Qunar.com, searches for “graduation tours “have seen a sharp rise since June 10, with coastal cities including Xiamen, Fujian province; Qingdao, Shandong province; and Haikou, Hainan province being the most popular domestic destinations.
Homestays in the suburbs that offer experiences including farming, local history and nature hikes are especially popular options.
The peak for family visits and graduation tours was likely reached between June 11 and June 17, boosted by families with preschool-aged children and students aged between 18 and 22, according to Tuniu.com, a travel agency platform.
“Taking a walk with curators or instructors while visiting cultural sites such as museums is what intrigues student tourists as they seek to learn what is behind cultural exhibits and get inspired by broadening their horizons,” said Chen Juan, a Tuniu guide.
Liu Shuang, mother of a 14-year-old in Beijing, has enrolled her son in a literature and writing workshop, which offers participating teenagers access to captivating stories by writers like Shen Congwen (1903-88), one of the most influential modern Chinese writers, which were written in his hometown — Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province.
The trip costs nearly 10,000 yuan for seven days.
“This is a great opportunity for my son to experience life in the beautiful countryside and explore his passion for writing and literature,” said Liu. “The trip also helps him to step outside our home and comfort zone in Beijing, and replace digital devices with tranquil water-town life for a while.”
