Tourist agencies across China are busy promoting tour packages especially tailored for students now that the summer holidays have finally arrived.

Major travel agencies which deal with overseas travel have joined hands with schools to organize sending primary and middle-school students abroad during their nearly two-month summer holidays in July and August.

Study-abroad tours during holidays have gained popularity among Chinese youngsters in recent years since students can learn and see new things while enjoying their summer holidays, said Dun Jidong with the China Travel Service.

Among the special study tours for students, English studying tours in Australia, cultural studying tours in Japan and environmental protection tours in Singapore and Malaysia are the hottest choices for young travellers.

A 12-day study tour to Australia costs 15,000 yuan (US$1,800) and a six-day study tour to Singapore and Malaysia costs 4,980 yuan (US$600), according to China Travel Service.

Summer is a relatively slack season for tourism compared with the three golden weeks during the Spring Festival (first day of the Chinese lunar new year), Labour Day (May 1), and the National Day holidays (starting October 1), Dun said.

"However, thanks to the surging trend of overseas travel for students, travel agencies have extra business during the summer holidays compared with years ago," Dun said.

Dun's travel agency has received more than 100 customers booking study-abroad tours during the summer holidays. The peak booking period for student travel routes will occur in one or two weeks when most primary and middle schools begin their summer vacation, he said.

The travel company organized more than 300 students to go abroad during summer holidays last year and they are expecting even more this year, Dun said.

Although travel to most European countries and the United States has not yet been given approval status for Chinese tourists, some schools have student exchange programmes with their counterparts in those countries and can organize study tours for students.

Fang Fang, a Beijing resident, will send her 13-year-old son to the United States for a 20-day tour organized by the boy's school. Although the tour costs as much as US$3,600, Fang said she thinks it is worthwhile.

"My son can practise English and visit many museums there. It may arouse his interest to study abroad in the future," Fang said.

However, Beijing Consumers' Association has warned parents of poorly organized student summer tours which often do not improve the education of students and are expensive and sometimes unsafe.

To improve Chinese youngsters' character building, six governmental departments including the All-China Women's Federation, and the Ministry of Education jointly launched the Moral Education Programme for Chinese Young Citizens this February.

Touring abroad to learn advanced social manners from other countries is one of the key ambitions of the programme.

As part of the programme, the China Travel Service has arranged a six-day tour to Singapore and Malaysia to learn environmental protection knowledge and moral education knowledge.

Targeting nine to 14-year-old students, the tour will start in late July. Guided by school teachers, students will visit schools, museums and other places of interest. Since parents are not allowed on the tours, the programme is also expected to make students more independent, organizers said.

( China Daily July 12, 2002)