This summer, renowned museums across China have witnessed an unprecedented surge in demand, with tickets becoming increasingly hard to get. More and more primary and secondary school students are choosing to broaden their horizons and gain valuable experiences through study tours.
Exploration site of mulberry fish pond
Data indicates that from January to June 2023, the number of students participating in study tours organized by Ecwalk, a prominent travel agency based in Guangzhou, has more than doubled compared to the same period in 2019, reaching a level that is 70% of the total for the entire year of 2019.
Furthermore, over 70% of respondents expressed their intentions to travel during the summer vacation, with a staggering 90% of them being "under 18-year-olds and children." They represent the major customer base for the summer of 2023.
Various types of study tours have gained immense popularity this summer. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Nanjing, and Chengdu, known for their rich cultural heritage and modernity, have become favored destinations for both families and people interested in study tours. Parents and students are seeking diverse, enriching, and experiential study opportunities, with a particular focus on traditional and intangible cultural heritage. Well-known historical and cultural sites and human heritage destinations within China have become hotspots for study tours.
At the Natural Exhibition Hall of the Guangdong Museum, many students are participating in the "Marine Mollusks" course. The hall displays specimens of marine creatures like sharks and devilfish. Children are earnestly listening to explanations while diligently recording their findings in their educational manuals. In the Guangdong Culture Tourist Park of Fishing and Farming at the foot of Xiqiao Mountain in Foshan, parents and children are working together, using hand-operated silk-reeling machines replicated those from the Han Dynasty to unwind silk cocoons, learning the ancient art of silk reeling. They are also using tools made from bamboo and wood to open silk cocoons, which is the first step in making silk quilts, and using silk and fan templates to create round fans symbolizing family reunions.
Industry insiders emphasize that the essence of education travel lies in "learning" rather than just "traveling." To create exceptional educational travel products, agencies go through a series of service development processes such as demand collection, resource exploration, service-demand matching, and optimization. To establish practical and widely applicable standards, relevant authorities should lead the way in developing specialized educational courses, industry standards covering qualifications of market entities, certification of educational guides, course design, pricing, promotion, marketing, and service guarantees. This ensures that consumers can enjoy high-quality services at reasonable prices.
