Summary

A recent report published by Chinese travel agency CTrip shows that the number of students signing up for short-term overseas study programmes over the Chinese New Year holiday has increased by over 80 per cent this year. Although the summer holiday is still the main period for short-term study, the market for winter programmes is rising rapidly.

According to the report, the majority of students going overseas on these programmes are lower or upper secondary students (ages 12-18; 71 per cent in total), while a further 15 per cent of participants are university students and 8 per cent are primary students. Students mainly come from China's most developed regions; the top 10 cities by number of students are Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi'an and Nanjing.

The report also found that there has been a shift in demand towards "real learning experiences", with a particular demand for students to take classes alongside Western students. This is a seen as an advantage of winter programmes, taking advantage of the difference in holiday timing between Chinese and overseas schools. As China's winter school holidays are centred around Chinese New Year, schools typically break up for one month from mid January to mid February (the precise dates vary as Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar), while university students have around six weeks off.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

Although the UK takes a strong share of China's summer school market, it does not do as well over the winter season. Discussions with agents suggest that the number of students attending winter programmes in the UK is not rising as fast as the overall market. One disadvantage for the UK is its climate, as many students prefer to go to countries in the Southern Hemisphere where January and February are summer months.

However, the rapid growth of the overall market suggests that there is unmet demand from students at both school and university levels, and the strong reputation of UK education could present opportunities for winter programmes. Agents also confirm the strong and rising demand for immersion programmes found by CTrip, although the main study mode is still “English Plus”.

Sources

China Daily – More Chinese parents opting for overseas study tours, says Ctrip: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201812/28/WS5c255fd7a310d912140515ae.html

Xinhua – Winter holiday overseas study becomes more popular; Xi'an parents spend over 20,000 RMB on average (in Chinese, more details): http://www.sn.xinhuanet.com/2018-12/20/c_1123883531.htm