Summer is for gaining knowledge

A mother and son at Qingdao airport before boarding a flight to attend an overseas summer camp. XIE HAO/CHINA DAILY

Students keen on languages, work and cultural experiences snap up package tours

Outbound travel packages for young Chinese students are in hot demand this summer, according to industry players.

Students seeking language skills, internships and experiences of foreign cultures are traveling abroad the most.

According to Li Mengran, public relations manager of Beijing Utour International Travel Service Co, China's major outbound-travel operator, summer study programs have been sold to Chinese citizens aged between 3 and 60.

Such travel products usually target countries that are famous for their educational institutions, like the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada.

A typical program involves visits to overseas schools, staying at educational camps, practising new skills learnt during the program and even philanthropic activities.

For example, 13-night study tour includes visits to Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Boston in Massachusetts. The visit to Boston packs in a tour of the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Similarly, tours of Harvard University and Columbia University are part of the deal.

So are visits to baseball games, to enable young Chinese travelers to experience American lifestyle.

The price of such a trip is 39,800 yuan ($5,999) per person, according to Utour.

With every passing year, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about summer camp travel products. Their requests are becoming specific, said a spokesperson from Ctrip.com International Ltd, a leading online travel agency in China.

European countries, the US and Canada are perennial favorites of Chinese parents and their children. Local European and American camping itineraries include The Boy Scouts of America, YMCA and Campfire.

But increasingly, the convenience of visa-cum-flight-ticket arrangements offered by travel firms is encouraging Chinese travelers to check out summer destinations in Africa, Central and South Americas, and South Asia, according to Ctrip.

Students can not only gain experience but credits and reference letters from qualified institutions overseas.