School's out
More Chinese parents are planning trips to cater to kids, especially as the semester break begins. Yang Feiyue examines the trend.
Nian Dai didn't want to travel during the Dragon Boat Festival from June 9 to 11. But a small person gave him a big reason - his 9-year-old son.
"I knew it'd be very crowded everywhere during the holiday," Nian says.
"But my son would complain if I didn't take him somewhere. He has been busy with tests and homework and expects to go out."
So the father brought the boy to the Beijing Badaling Wildlife Park - and - to the family's surprise - they had a wonderful time. They saw lions and tigers and bears from cars and they hand fed herbivores.
His son asked many questions. They chatted the most they had since the previous time he'd taken the boy out.
Nian's family is representative of a trend: an increasing number of trips is made for Chinese children's sake, says Li Mengran, publicity manager of major outbound-travel operator Beijing Utour International Travel Service Co.
"Parents are busy at work and only have time for their children during holidays," Li says.
"Many feel they should spend more time with their kids and take them to see the world as much as possible."
Bookings are set to surge as schools start summer vacation.
Utour's short-distance outbound family packages to Singapore and Malaysia were fully booked during Children's Day on June 1.
A 15-day family package touring Canadian universities and a 16-day route covering the United States' East and West coasts have received rave reviews from parents, Li says.
Children are providing greater incentives to the tourism market, suggests a report by China's biggest online travel agency, Ctrip.
The number of Chinese children who took international flights during the first three months of this year surged 82 percent over last year, the report says. Half are younger than 6.
Also, the recent change in family-planning policies that allow Chinese to have two children has produced packages catering to families of four.
Flight bookings for two kids rose by about 30 percent during the period, during which those surveyed visited 630 cities across 132 countries and regions, the report says.
A 3-year-old featured in the report flew 16 times last year to such destinations as Seoul, Japan's Sapporo and Thailand's Bangkok, Koh Samui and Phuket Island.
He'd traveled more extensively than most adults from January to March.
Parents are willing to pay more for better arrangements when traveling with children, the report explains.
Average family spending for Ctrip's family group packages stood at 5,000 yuan ($759) for the first five months of 2016. That's roughly 1,000 yuan more than adults-only excursions.
Agencies advise that parents purchase travel insurance, since kids are prone to mishaps.
Favorite destinations to take children include natural places with mountains and rivers, the report says.
More families are expected to travel as summer vacation begins, it explains.
Particularly popular is Ctrip's eight-day Taiwan tour, where children can stay overnight at a local aquarium.
Also well-received is a six-day trip to Japan's Osaka and Kyoto that teaches children how to survive catastrophes at a disaster-prevention center, visit a cutting-edge sewage-treatment facility and see the country's environmental-protection technology.
Other popular tours feature real-life roleplaying the video game Counter Strike, island explorations and fencing practice, Ctrip says.
Utour offers visits to European aerospace centers, Spanish chocolate factories and Russian animal museums.
"All these tours are fun and educational," Li explains.
Bookings are surging.
Nian plans to take his son to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's Hulun Buir in August.
"I want him to ride horses and experience the prairie," he says.
It seems to him a great way - and place - to bond, he believes.
Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
Top spots
Leading family destinations according to Ctrip bookings
Chinese mainland
1. Hainan province's Sanya
2. Fujian province's Xiamen
3. Beijing
4. Yunnan province's Lijiang
5. Yunnan's Dali
6. Sichuan province's Jiu-zhaigou Valley
7. Shaanxi province's Xi'an
8. The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's Guilin
9. Guangxi's Yangshuo
10. Jiangsu province's Nanjing
Overseas destinations
1. Hong Kong
2. Macao
3. Taipei
4. Bangkok
5. Singapore
6. Phuket Island, Thailand
7. Seoul
8. Tokyo
9. Osaka
10. Chiang Mai, Thailand
About this series
China Daily explores summer destinations and activities throughout the season.
A mother plays with kids at the beach in the seaside city of Qingdao in Shandong province. Wang Haibin / For China Daily |