Museum and study tour craze continues to heat up

A view of Shenzhen Museum. File photo

Shenzhen's appeal as a summer destination continues to grow. The city is seeing a substantial increase in summer bookings compared with the same period last year, with a notable increase in parent-child travel itineraries, according to Shenzhen Economic Daily.

Local attractions such as museums, the OCT Resort, the Dutch Flower Town, and the Shenzhen Safari Park are experiencing a tourist boom this summer that is attracting tourists from all over the country.

Since July 22, Shenzhen’s attractions and cultural venues have phased out the “appointment-only” policy, allowing spontaneous visits. This move, coupled with the summer break, has boosted museum and attraction visits by 10% to 20%, even on weekdays.

For instance, the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning was abuzz with families and students participating in summer camps or study tours Thursday.

“The exhibition is well arranged,” a woman surnamed Zhao told the newspaper. “I grew up in Shenzhen as a child. Later, my whole family moved to Shanghai, and the exhibition brought back many childhood memories. I’m also taking my child to Shenzhen this time.”

The study tour market is also in its peak season during the summer. A Ctrip.com report indicated a 70% jump in parent-child study tour orders.

In recent years, the study tour industry has seen rapid expansion in China, with over 1,600 educational bases catering to primary and secondary school students and 30,000 enterprises related to study tours in the country in 2023, according to data from iiMedia Research.

The size of the study tour market reached 146.9 billion yuan (US$20.24 billion) last year and is poised to grow to 242.2 billion yuan by 2026, statistics show.

Students have a desire to explore the nation’s heritage. One Shenzhen parent, whose child attends Shenzhen High School of Science, arranged an immersive six-day and five-night study tour in Beijing for his child.

Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and other regions are top study tour destinations. In Shenzhen, the OCT Resort and the Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park are popular because they blend entertainment, education, and outdoor activities, making them ideal for family excursions, according to Ctrip.com.