More parents are sending their kids abroad to go on summer camps. (Photo : Getty Images)
Parents are sending their kids overseas to camps organized by professional organizations to have them gain new life experiences, according to top travel agency Ctrip. This is a current trend that breaks away from the common reasons of students going abroad, such as language studies or short tourist visits.
"Before, study tours were basically focused on two aspects: trips to renowned universities or middle schools, or language skills. It was more like preparation for studying (long term) overseas," said Zhang Jie, head of Ctrip's overseas study tours. However, Jie noted that campgoers are focused on having novel adventures as they live for a week or more in another country.
The report by Ctrip also revealed that the Chinese students who plan to travel abroad for summer camps are three years younger than the travelers in 2014. The age ranges from 8 to 15 years old.
Study-tour bookings for summer camps are about 30 percent of the total overseas study tours booked by the parents with Ctrip this year. Meanwhile, more parents seem interested and are inquiring about summer camp tours abroad, as reported by China Daily.
International Admissions director Sun Kai of Sappo School in New York has the same opinion as Jie, and also said that the parents wanted their children to get into the activities that are not accessible or available to them when they are in China.
According to Sun, parents enrol their kids in summer camps that offer piano, martial arts, violin, ballet, pottery, and other activities. Many of these students come from Guangdong Province, Shanghai, Beijing and Shanghai.
"More parents hope short-term overseas study will give their children new experiences and help them to build knowledge of the unknown," said Sun. According to him, parents are expressing their willingness to allow their kids to go on paths of discovering their likes and dislikes.
