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The market for study tours is extremely hot during the summer vacation. On the one hand, study tours can enrich students' learning and entertainment life during this extra-long vacation; on the other hand, for parents who do not have an "extra-long" vacation and no one to help, study tours are one of the best ways to arrange for their children who have "nowhere to go".

With the entry of various institutions, travel agencies and other related platforms, the study tour market, which has not been strictly regulated and lacks unified standards and norms, has also been in chaos. Whether it is a "cursory" photo-taking and check-in, or charging high team fees but only visiting some free cultural museums and universities... Are study tours "cutting leeks"? Is study tour worth it? The Paper interviewed parents of students, heads of study institutions, heads of summer care institutions, people related to online travel platforms, and tourism industry researchers, trying to analyze the causes of the chaos in the study tour market and discuss how to regulate the study tour market.

One day in July, a reporter from The Paper saw that on a weekday morning, the square at the entrance of the Gansu Provincial Museum was full of tourists of all ages. Many student groups from study tours and summer camps took photos in front of the museum and lined up at the entrance.

The entrance of Gansu Provincial Museum. (Photo by Tang Yingying, The Paper)

For parents, when there is no vacation or time to accompany their children, study tours that allow them to play, learn, make friends, and "take care of" their children are undoubtedly one of the best arrangements.

“Everything can be studied”

"When it comes to winter and summer vacations, friends will always ask 'where are you going to play' when we meet. I have been worrying about how to arrange the children during the holidays, especially since the summer vacation is long and the children cannot be kept at home in the air-conditioned room all the time." As early as June, Liang's mother enrolled her child in a summer camp in Anji, Zhejiang from August 5th to 9th at a painting organization near her home.

"The early bird price is 4,599 yuan for five days and four nights, and the original price is 5,099 yuan. The organization also has an Anhui Guangde study camp in mid-July. The early bird price for four days and three nights is 3,099 yuan. If you sign up for both study camps, you can get a discount of 200 yuan. The tour also includes sketching." Mother Liang said, "This studio has been opened at the entrance of the community for at least ten years. Many children in the community have been painting and writing in it since kindergarten. There is a kindergarten opposite the community, and the studio has always had the business of picking up children for after-school care. On the one hand, most of the children are from several nearby communities, and the gathering point is very convenient at the doorstep; on the other hand, primary school students have to go out for several days without their parents, and I value the basic trust in the team."

As outbound tourism grows, the number of outbound study tours is also growing.

In an interview with The Paper, Ctrip said that compared with last year, the demand for overseas study tours during the summer has increased significantly. The United Kingdom and Singapore have become popular choices for overseas study tours this summer. Products for destinations such as the United Kingdom and the United States are particularly popular. These summer camps mainly focus on improving language, communication and practical skills. Summer camp products such as visits to prestigious Ivy League schools in the United States are also very popular.

As the study tour market has developed to date, parents are "dazzled" by the various types of products, from visiting university cultural museums to various hand-craft experiences, from checking in at scenic spots and historical sites to working in the countryside... However, as the number of "study tours" increases, so do the doubts.

A search by The Paper found that in addition to the usual tours to famous schools, cultural museums, and historical sites, there are also airplane study tours, railway study tours, subway study tours, and bridge culture study tours. It can be said that "everything can be studied."

In addition, you can also "study" in theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios, and the price of a one-day study tour ranges from 20 yuan to 1,500 yuan.

A Beijing Universal Studios stunt and special effects study package shows that the price for children over 12 years old is 1,350 yuan per person. The "teachers" for the one-day study at Beijing Universal Studios are "excellent lecturers and engineers", and the content of the study is "special effects demonstration and principle explanation."

There are also some products that are marketed as "study and research" but are actually focused on "photo shooting" and cost more than 700 yuan.

Cheng Chaogong, chief researcher of Tongcheng Research Institute, pointed out that study tours are one of the important travel themes for summer tourism every year. Among the study tour products, visits to famous schools, museum tours and popular science education are relatively common and have always been popular themes. In terms of destination selection, historical and cultural cities are still the first choice for summer study tours, with Beijing and Xi'an being relatively popular; landmark scenic spots that have appeared in Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools are favored by many parent-child study tour groups, and historical museums with heavyweight "national treasures" continue to be popular.

Children "all sitting on the roadside playing with their phones"

After the expensive study tour, did the children really gain anything?

"Study tours are really a waste of money. My son, who is in the first grade of elementary school, went to the United States for 14 days with a foreign language school. I remember that it cost more than 50,000 yuan seven or eight years ago, but now he can't remember anything when I ask him about it. When he arrived in the United States, he lost all kinds of things (water cups, school bags, umbrellas, wallets), and the tour guide didn't know anything when I asked him. The child called me every evening in the evening US time and cried about wanting to go home. I felt like a big victim. I not only spent money but also felt worried." A netizen recalled.

Some netizens said that they took their children home after signing up for a study tour at the planetarium but “didn’t stick with it.” “The museum was packed with people, and we couldn’t experience many projects in person. The children were sweating from the heat, and it was so crowded and messy inside that we couldn’t hear clearly even with headphones on. The teacher seemed to be about to lose control and wanted to complain and get angry at any time.”

More netizens said that the study tours they encountered during summer travels were poor at managing their students.

"I saw many study tour groups when I was traveling in Xi'an. It was 40 degrees Celsius inside the Terracotta Warriors, there was no air conditioning, and it was hard to squeeze in, let alone listen to historical explanations. Many people sat at the door playing games on their phones. Do you think the children would tell their parents the truth? After all, playing games at home is not allowed, but no one cares if you go out." said one netizen.

For students who have left their parents, overseas study tours that cost tens of thousands of yuan are also just about “playing with mobile phones”.

Some netizens said that the study tour group they saw in London, England, cost about 60,000 yuan for half a month, and the children "all sat on the roadside or on the lawn playing mobile games and watching videos."

Is study tour worth it? How to choose study tour products?

So, are study tours all about “squeezing leeks”?

Teacher Xu, the head of an after-school care institution, said that the institution currently organizes free weekend university visits and study tours.

"At the beginning, we took our own children to visit universities, asked if there were any parents in the class who wanted to go with us, and took a few more children with us. In the first half of this year, this activity gradually became regular, and we can organize it once or twice a month, with about 20 children each time. It is still free, and parents can just share the cost of the bus and lunch, which is 60 to 70 yuan per person." Teacher Xu said, "Since last year, research and study institutions have come to us for cooperation. This year's institution may have just started and the market has not been expanded, so we discussed free cooperation, mainly to attract traffic."

It is understood that this after-school care institution was founded by Mr. Xu and Mr. Liu, a couple, six or seven years ago. It has grown from one or two classes to more than a dozen classes now, covering students of different grades from several nearby schools. During the winter and summer vacations, it mainly provides full-day care for primary school students, mainly for older students, and has a high stickiness.

At present, in addition to free university research and study activities, Teacher Xu has also organized several one-day camps at the Shanghai Planetarium, which cost 399 yuan. "To be honest, I have only organized a few one-day camps at the Shanghai Planetarium and made a little profit. The cooperative institutions share my profits based on the number of people. This is very worry-free. I don't have to worry about anything when I organize students. Later, I would like to discuss organizing a free one for old students in summer care and after-school care." Teacher Xu said frankly, "Now many institutions are conducting research and study, which is to expand the needs of parents. I am more inclined to do research and study for public welfare, and I look for activities close to our institution to attract traffic to my after-school care."

According to The Paper, on August 10 this year, nearly 200 young people from Guangzhou set off for Macau to participate in a one-day study tour on the theme of science, technology and humanities in Macau. The event was hosted by the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism, co-organized by the Macau Education and Youth Development Bureau, and organized by Guangzhi Travel under Lingnan Group. The study tour is open to young people aged 6-23, and students under the age of 12 must be accompanied by their parents. Students can enjoy a subsidized price of 88 yuan per person with valid proof (accompanying parents are charged 388 yuan per person).

It is understood that the 88 yuan fee includes round-trip bus, lunch and dinner, study tickets, explanation services, study manuals and hats, and group insurance. After completing the trip, you can get a study certificate officially issued by the organizing committee. The one-day study tour includes checking in at Macau's three major science and humanities experiences: Macau Ruins of St. Paul's, Macau Science Center, and University of Macau. Among them, Macau Science Center and University of Macau have arranged official professional explanations. Students can also have in-depth exchanges with Macau students and listen to the history of the University of Macau.

Li, a sophomore high school student from Guangzhou who was part of the group, said: "This is a rare opportunity for exchange and learning. I have been to Macau before, but this time is the most profound experience. I am very honored to be a part of it. I sincerely invite young people from Hong Kong and Macau to visit Guangzhou more often to enhance friendship."

Is study tour worth it?

Some netizens believe that study tours "are definitely selling anxiety and IQ taxes or are simply for sending children out to relax." The netizen said, "Especially for sports like cycling and rock climbing, it takes more than a day or a few days to learn how to get started, let alone find the fun. It's ridiculous to expect them to learn anything from this trip. I really want to make time for my children to complete a task together, instead of just throwing it all to others."

Another netizen said: "My child goes out with me. She talks to others when eating, drinking and playing. She figures out transportation by herself. She remembers many words after reading them several times. She also understands dialogues after listening to them several times. She can understand historical knowledge by scanning it with a translator. She has no time to look at her phone every day when she goes out with her parents. She learns a lot of knowledge while playing. Therefore, children's education should be in the hands of parents, not study tours."

However, not all parents have enough time to spend with their children.

"Because they had no intention of studying abroad, my family had already decided to let them go abroad for the summer vacation." Mr. Huang, who is busy with work, told The Paper that the British summer camp his child participated in this time was his favorite Harry Potter-themed one, and the cost of the 15-day British study tour was a little over 30,000 yuan. "The price is relatively affordable. Living in a school in the UK, children from different countries mixed together, which can also increase cultural exchanges."

Teacher Xu believes that parents now have a different goal in mind. They think that comprehensive quality and ability cannot be achieved only through study, but they cannot let go of study either. They hope that their children can learn through play. "Children can learn about local customs and practices while traveling in the study camp. At the same time, they can deepen their understanding of the unique culture through the set themes, which is better than learning knowledge in the classroom," Teacher Xu believes.

Cheng Chaogong believes that study tour products have high requirements for the teaching staff of the development institutions. The reception business of the study tour group must generally be undertaken by a travel agency with relevant qualifications. The pricing of the product is determined by the product content, itinerary and other components. On the one hand, companies need to consciously improve product quality and maintain the healthy development of the industry. On the consumer side, parents also need to improve their ability to distinguish, have a clear understanding of their own needs, and choose product types that better meet their needs.