Parent-child tourism takes off in big way

Chinese parents are booking more domestic and outbound research as well as study tours this summer compared to the same period last year, and the market is set to embrace a golden period of growth, industry players said. 

However, parents have become more cautious while choosing research and educational travel products, and are paying more attention to quality, said Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

The United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore are the most popular destinations for research and study tours. Such trips mainly include taking international classes abroad, and in-depth tours of museums and famous universities.

In addition to time-tested experiences of visiting renowned universities in Europe and the US, some niche destinations in northern Europe that focus on natural landscape sightseeing, such as Finland and Norway, have also become popular for research and learning trips this summer, Qunar found.

More parents are choosing routes that emphasize humanities, history, nature, and aesthetic education, as well as projects that are highly experiential and interactive.

People born in the 1980s and 1990s — young parents now — are the main consumer groups in the parent-child travel market, and they are more willing to pay for high-quality parent-child travel experiences, industry observers said.

"For example, participating in a turtle conservation project in Bali, Indonesia, and an elephant conservation project in Thailand, have seen significant increases in bookings this year. Since children can do something by themselves, this makes it more meaningful," said Yan Lanru, director of research and study tours at Qunar.

"For domestic study trips, several travel agencies have launched cultural tours equipped with experienced research mentors and experts in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. They will help children deeply experience and understand the culture and historical heritage of the ancient capital," Yan said.

The per capita cost of domestic research tour products has declined by 10 percent this summer compared with the pre-pandemic level of 2019, but the per capita cost of such tours overseas has increased by about 40 percent over 2019, data from Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency, showed.

Summer vacation is the peak season for parent-child travel. Last summer, Chinese consumers undertook trips amounting to some 1.84 billion person-times, significantly higher than during the same period of 2019, or before the COVID-19 pandemic, and many scenic spots received a record number of tourists, according to the China Tourism Academy.

Based on summer travel product orders so far, nearly half of the tourists who plan to travel domestically are families with children, and this group accounts for 53 percent of the total for outbound travel, according to Trip.com.

Among those that have booked travel products this summer, consumers born in the 1980s and 1990s form the backbone, and each accounts for 50 percent and 18 percent of the total, respectively, Trip.com said. 

"Bookings made by those who were born after the year 2000 grew the fastest, and the booking volume has jumped about 80 percent year-on-year, indicating that students are playing an increasingly important role in the summer tourism market," said Fang Zexi, an industry analyst at the research institute of Trip.com.

For instance, taking a 12-day tour of the UK and Ireland has been popular this summer. This includes tours of Cambridge University and Oxford University, the British Museum and Windsor Castle, according to Tuniu Corp.

"For short-haul outbound products, taking a study and research tour in Hong Kong and Macao has been sought after. It will include a visit to renowned colleges in the two cities and the Hong Kong Palace Museum," said Fan Dongxiao, director of short-haul outbound tours at Tuniu Corp.

Parent-child cultural and tourism products related to theme parks, museums, and science museums have been the most popular, followed by natural and cultural landscapes such as visiting historical sites and Chinese classical gardens.

Next in popularity are farm tours and shopping, according to a survey by the China Tourism Association.

Parent-child travel has taken on more diverse forms.

Faced with higher demand from parents of the 1980s and 1990s generation, hotels that focus on parent-child accommodation are no longer satisfied with upgrading hardware such as setting up cartoon-themed decorations and beds with slides.

They have also begun to develop diversified educational and recreational functions, combining interactive experiences and educational entertainment.

This summer, booking volumes for parent-child accommodation have jumped 25 percent year-on-year with prices falling by 18 percent on a yearly basis, and half of hotel bookings have been for four-star and five-star luxury hotels, Trip.com found.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, a theme park in Shanghai, recently launched the first penguin science popularization resort nationwide near the park. Combining the natural advantages of the ocean park, the hotel features a panoramic penguin exhibition pool.

Tourists can watch penguins, participate in feeding them and take part in other ocean science popularization activities such as lectures by science experts who share their Antarctic exploration journeys.

The first group of consumers who checked in at the hotel also have a chance to adopt penguins remotely and receive photos and videos of the adopted penguin regularly, according to the hotel.

"With Chinese consumers' demand for travel evolving continuously, the parent-child tourism market is also constantly evolving. Past products and concepts may have become outdated, and domestic tourists are willing to invest in parent-child travel while also demanding higher standards," said Fang of Trip.com.

"After meeting the basic requirements of room types, the upgrading of hardware and software facilities like cartoon decorations, the demand for various amusement options, interactive experiences, and educational entertainment will become increasingly common," she said.

A booming travel market has also driven demand for air transportation this summer.

During July and August, domestic airports are expected to handle 1.08 million takeoffs and landings, up 12.65 percent year-on-year, and 13.87 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level of 2019, according to an estimate by aviation data provider VariFlight.

In addition, more than 2,100 international and regional flights are expected to take off and land in China each day this summer.

This is expected to grow 62.42 percent year-on-year, and is forecast to rebound to 80 percent of the pre-pandemic level seen in 2019, according to VariFlight.