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Carl Zhang

Edith Mao

For two decades, it was popular for many Chinese families to send their children on “study tours” overseas – most often to the United States – during the summer.
The programmes generally involved summer camps jointly organised by American universities and language institutions, as well as visits to colleges, museums and tourist attractions.
In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 1.3 million Chinese students spent part of their summer holidays studying overseas, according to a report by Beijing-based consultancy Huaon.com, with the US ranked the most popular destination.
The access to elite US education and an English-language environment proved to be big attractions until this year when changes in American visa policies sent a chill through families.
It started last month when the administration of US President Donald Trump announced it would increase visa scrutiny of Chinese students, especially those with ties to the Communist Party or studying in “critical fields”.
Then on Monday, the US embassy announced that it would remove interview waivers for Chinese children under the age of 14. Under the new rules, young children planning a summer study trip would have to submit to interviews as part of the visa application process.


Chen Dakai, manager of international education for the America-China Science and Education Foundation, said the US had generally increased its visa review process for Chinese students, with stricter and longer review times. The fresh uncertainty facing visa applicants had deterred many families, he said.
“Parents worry that they may still be rejected, even if they spend a lot of time and energy preparing,” Chen said.
“Many children really want to go on a study tour and would be really disappointed about being rejected for a visa.”
David Li, a civil servant in Beijing, said he had abandoned plans to send his son on a study tour in the US this summer, worrying that his identity as a member of the Communist Party of China might complicate the process for his child.
“My son attended a study tour in the US last summer, which was a great experience. He was excited about going to the US again,” Li said.
“His visa is ready. But I reconsidered the plan after [US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio said visas could be revoked for Chinese students, particularly those connected to the Communist Party.
“It seems uncertain what will happen to my son when he enters the country. Given the bilateral tensions and my identity as a party member and government employee, I think I should play safe.”


Shenzhen-based industry veteran Li Tao agreed that tighter visa rules were having a big impact on student trips to the US.
He started out in the industry in 2009 and now works for Sky Blue Education, which organises trips to various countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
“The visa applications of many children have been rejected,” he said. “After Trump came to power, it became difficult to recruit students for American summer camp programmes.
“Before the trade war, American summer camp programmes were very popular and booming, accounting for 70 per cent of the total project revenue. After the first trade war and the [pandemic], enrolment continued to decline and now it has slumped by 80 per cent.”
According to Li Tao, few families were still set on visiting the US for a study tour but many determined to study in North America were visiting Canada, either as an alternative or to improve their chances of being admitted to the US.
“I think this year is a watershed for the international study tour industry. After this year, it will be difficult for American study tour programmes to pick up again, and the UK is likely to replace it as the most popular study abroad destination for Chinese students.”
After this year, it will be difficult for American study tour programmes to pick up again
Li Tao, tour organiser
Susan Zhang, a tech company executive in the eastern province of Jiangsu, is another parent reassessing options for her son.
She said her child wanted to go to the United States but she had registered him for a trip in Britain instead.
“My visa application to attend a business seminar in the US was turned down in March, probably because I’m in the hi-tech industry, so I sensed the hostility,” Zhang said. “To save the trouble, I’ve chosen the UK for my son, as have many of the classmates in his middle school.”
Li Tao said the industry was in overall decline, in large part because Chinese parents were increasingly disenchanted with the West. More people now believed that China’s education, technology and infrastructure were on a par with other countries and that domestic study tours were not necessarily worse than going abroad.
“Also, China [has] faced a serious economic downturn in the past two years. Family incomes are falling and parents are more cautious about spending – including on expensive international study tours,” he said.
Those changes are fanning prospects for organisers of trips in China.
Guangzhou-based independent data analytics company iiMedia Research forecasts the country’s study tour market to surpass 300 billion yuan (US$41.7 billion) by 2028, doubling from 146.9 billion yuan in 2023.
Additional reporting by Jane Cai


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Many parents are rethinking plans for their children as new visa rules and bilateral hostilities take their toll


Many parents are rethinking plans for their children as new visa rules and bilateral hostilities take their toll.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Many parents are rethinking plans for their children as new visa rules and bilateral hostilities take their toll

Many parents are rethinking plans for their children as new visa rules and bilateral hostilities take their toll