The winter vacation is still far away, and the outbound study tour is hot first, and parents have to be calm and calm when they pay for it

Multicultural experience in Singapore, innovative classroom at Finnish International Camp, Italian Renaissance exploration... Just after the mid-term, a large number of outbound research and study tour projects during the winter vacation have been released. In the face of the "tall" publicity, industry insiders reminded that the quality of research and study tour products is uneven, and parents should first "discount" and screen more psychologically.

market  

Sign up two months in advance, starting at 30,000 a week

According to the school calendar released by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, from January 20, 2024, students in the compulsory education stage will start winter vacation until February 25, a total of 5 weeks and 2 days.

There are still two months left before the winter vacation, and the outbound research and tourism business aimed at the holiday is the first to usher in the registration season. Due to the visa processing, hotel air ticket booking and other links, it is necessary to play the amount of time in advance, and then superimpose factors such as "Double Eleven", parents should try to complete the registration around mid-November. An agency official said, "By the end of November at the latest, it will be difficult to arrange it after that." ”

As a parent, the reporter consulted a number of travel agencies and educational institutions to launch overseas study tour programs, and found that the quota was generally tight, and the popular routes were full or close to full. "The first round of registration has ended, there are no places in the group, you can register first, and we will see if there are any parents who can form a group. A person in charge of a deep camp project in Singapore said that 15 children formed a group, and the project was quickly filled. Another admissions teacher from Cambridge City International Camp said, "There are still two places in the group, and they need to be finalized as soon as possible in the next two days." ”

Judging from the data collected by the reporter on a number of outbound research and study tour projects, compared with domestic tours, the outbound projects take a long time, mostly in one to two weeks. The itinerary is mainly for short-distance tours such as Hong Kong and Singapore within 10 days, and long-distance tours to the United States, Australia and Europe for 11-15 days. The publicity points emphasize cultural exchanges, campus visits are indispensable, and accommodation is arranged in student dormitories and apartments.

In addition, in order to highlight the weight of "learning", the reporter found that "classes", especially English classes, have become an important itinerary for many research tours. A 14-day study tour program arranged a total of 4 morning and 3 afternoon language and culture courses. A 9-day trip, except for the round-trip two days on the road, the rest of the arrangement is arranged for a total of 5 mornings, attending classes at a local language school.

In terms of cost, looking at the group starting from Beijing, 30,000 yuan is roughly the "starting point" of overseas research and study tour projects, which can only support about a week's itinerary in neighboring countries and regions. Long-distance groups of more than 10 days basically cost 4 or 50,000 yuan, and projects of 7 or 80,000 yuan are not uncommon. Compared with regular tour groups, research tours are generally higher. For example, for a 6-day and 5-night private tour in Singapore, the price will fluctuate between 1.2-17,000 yuan in January and February next year, and a research group with a similar number of days will be at least 10,000 yuan more expensive.

bewilderment  

The advantages of the difference are unclear, and there is a lack of quantitative standards

Wu Bihu, director of the Tourism Research and Planning Center of Peking University and member of the "14th Five-Year Plan" Expert Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, analyzed that on the one hand, many international routes in China are still in a state of recovery, and the price of air tickets has risen. "Not only research tours, but also business trips and leisure vacations are rising. ”

Chinese parents, on the other hand, have always been willing to spend money on their children. Even if you don't go out on vacation to "buy, buy, buy", you are willing to let your children see the world. Under the influence of the continuous "double reduction" policy, the child's tutoring cost and time can be partially released and transferred, which is the objective background of the enthusiastic registration of research and tourism products.

In terms of overall profits, the research group is much higher than that of conventional tourism, and Mr. Li, a tourism agency practitioner with many years of market operation experience, admits that it is not difficult to understand. "Ordinary regular tours basically don't make money on group fees, they all have flat costs or even losses, and they have to rely on shopping and secondary consumption to increase profits. Because there are few additional consumption links in the research group, the tour fee is bound to be high to ensure profits. ”

Mr. Li's institution often undertakes some scientific research projects, and he revealed that the tour fee should maintain at least 15%-20% of the profit after deducting all costs. From this point of view, the fees of the research group can refer to the high-end boutique group and private customized group with no shopping and no compulsory consumption throughout the whole process.

But these internal considerations are not understood by consumers. In the eyes of parents, compared with ordinary tour groups, the greatest value of research groups that often double in price should undoubtedly be reflected in the unique resources that distinguish them from regular tourists, and this is also the most controversial point of research products at present.

Ms. Tao wanted to send her 11-year-old daughter to the UK for a study tour in the summer, and after careful research, the price of a child going out is comparable to that of a family of three traveling together. She was even more confused when she consulted colleagues around her who had similar experiences. "When visiting some popular attractions, the study group does not have the special treatment as expected, and has to wait in line. There are many children, and the age gap is large, so the explanation is destined to be relatively shallow. If you visit a prestigious school, you usually ask a local international student to take a photo with you. It's not that it can't be done, Tsinghua University and Peking University are just like that, but these famous schools themselves can be entered for free, so where is the expensive money spent?"

The itinerary of the study group often includes course learning, or English training, or other content explained in English. An institution consulted by the reporter even has supporting English teaching materials, and the child seems to have participated in an English training class for several days during the trip. In this regard, the views of parents are also different. "Some people feel that playing does not delay learning, and it can stimulate their interest in English, and some people think that they can't go to training courses, so they don't have to spend a lot of money to study abroad?"

Ms. Tao's confusion is not uncommon among parents. Sharpen your will, nourish your feelings, and enhance your leadership and insight... There is a lack of reference standards for the various characteristics claimed by the study tour program, and it is impossible to quantify and evaluate them. After the heavy money, the child's harvest is more like a kind of "metaphysics".

remind  

Screen and measure the itinerary, and refuse to follow the trend blindly

According to Mr. Li's observation, the "study tour" spans the two industries of education and tourism, and the entrants mainly include travel agencies, education and training institutions, study abroad agencies and other institutions. "Travel agencies can directly launch research and study tour related products, and educational institutions often need to cooperate with travel agencies to sell products to the outside world, and travel agencies will dock and land. ”

Either the machinery is "stuffed" into the regular tourist route, or the training is "embedded" into the tour. Mr. Li said frankly that the quality of the research tour products is uneven, and the marketing skills are extremely studied. "It is recommended that parents pay close attention to each itinerary when choosing and weigh whether it is necessary. For some of the propaganda of 'capacity training', I will look at it with a 'discount' in my heart. ”

In this regard, Deng Dezhi, a professor at Zhejiang Tourism Vocational College, once pointed out in an interview that the problem of the research industry is that "tourism (professional) does not know how to educate, education (professional) does not know tourism, and there is a lack of professionals with interdisciplinary background." ”

In September last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the "Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People's Republic of China (2022 Edition)", which added the profession of "research travel instructor", which is regarded as an officially recognized "ID card" for relevant practitioners.

At the same time, there are also a lot of advertisements on the market about the acquisition of the "study travel instructor" certificate, and the related application centers, consultation centers, and counseling institutions are dazzling. The reporter found that the issuing units of these certificates are varied, all of which claim that their own certificates are "authoritative and have high gold content". The examination process is relatively simple, as long as you pay the money, you will organize the exam if you have enough people, and there is a question bank, so you don't have to worry about the problem of "can't pass the test".

The development of the industry and the cultivation of talents still need to be further regulated. As a parent, despite her hesitation, Ms. Tao also believes that it is a rare experience for children to be able to get along with their peers and live for a period of time, and to see the world independently from the perspective of their parents. "The premise is to ensure safety, food and accommodation are not discounted, and we also look forward to a more scientific and reasonable and eye-catching design. ”

Wu Bihu believes that overseas study trips can help children immerse themselves in the culture, language, and scenery of different countries, and if family conditions allow, it is of positive significance to children. However, in this process, parents should be careful not to follow the trend, and should choose suitable themes according to their children's personalities, abilities, hobbies, etc., and should not have unrealistic expectations. "Chinese parents especially want their children to learn specific knowledge over a period of time. I don't agree with some of the research content of 'changing places every day'. Parents expect their children to come back from study and speak English very well, which is not realistic, the most important thing is to let children see more and think more and feel more. ”

Source: Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Wei Jing Mei editor Song Xi

Edited by Wang Wenmiao

Process Editor: Weili Liu