Parent-child tourism takes off in big way

"Bookings made by those who were born after the year 2000 grew the fastest, and the booking volume has jumped about 80 percent year-on-year, indicating that students are playing an increasingly important role in the summer tourism market," said Fang Zexi, an industry analyst at the research institute of Trip.com.

For instance, taking a 12-day tour of the UK and Ireland has been popular this summer. This includes tours of Cambridge University and Oxford University, the British Museum and Windsor Castle, according to Tuniu Corp.

"For short-haul outbound products, taking a study and research tour in Hong Kong and Macao has been sought after. It will include a visit to renowned colleges in the two cities and the Hong Kong Palace Museum," said Fan Dongxiao, director of short-haul outbound tours at Tuniu Corp.

Parent-child cultural and tourism products related to theme parks, museums, and science museums have been the most popular, followed by natural and cultural landscapes such as visiting historical sites and Chinese classical gardens.

Next in popularity are farm tours and shopping, according to a survey by the China Tourism Association.

Parent-child travel has taken on more diverse forms.

Faced with higher demand from parents of the 1980s and 1990s generation, hotels that focus on parent-child accommodation are no longer satisfied with upgrading hardware such as setting up cartoon-themed decorations and beds with slides.

They have also begun to develop diversified educational and recreational functions, combining interactive experiences and educational entertainment.

This summer, booking volumes for parent-child accommodation have jumped 25 percent year-on-year with prices falling by 18 percent on a yearly basis, and half of hotel bookings have been for four-star and five-star luxury hotels, Trip.com found.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, a theme park in Shanghai, recently launched the first penguin science popularization resort nationwide near the park. Combining the natural advantages of the ocean park, the hotel features a panoramic penguin exhibition pool.

Tourists can watch penguins, participate in feeding them and take part in other ocean science popularization activities such as lectures by science experts who share their Antarctic exploration journeys.

The first group of consumers who checked in at the hotel also have a chance to adopt penguins remotely and receive photos and videos of the adopted penguin regularly, according to the hotel.

"With Chinese consumers' demand for travel evolving continuously, the parent-child tourism market is also constantly evolving. Past products and concepts may have become outdated, and domestic tourists are willing to invest in parent-child travel while also demanding higher standards," said Fang of Trip.com.

"After meeting the basic requirements of room types, the upgrading of hardware and software facilities like cartoon decorations, the demand for various amusement options, interactive experiences, and educational entertainment will become increasingly common," she said.

A booming travel market has also driven demand for air transportation this summer.

During July and August, domestic airports are expected to handle 1.08 million takeoffs and landings, up 12.65 percent year-on-year, and 13.87 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level of 2019, according to an estimate by aviation data provider VariFlight.

In addition, more than 2,100 international and regional flights are expected to take off and land in China each day this summer.

This is expected to grow 62.42 percent year-on-year, and is forecast to rebound to 80 percent of the pre-pandemic level seen in 2019, according to VariFlight.