Despite sweltering heat in most parts of the country, summer has traditionally been a high travel season in China, and one largely fueled by students taking a break from their schoolwork. In recent years, with overall living standards on the rise, demand forvacation travel has increased.

Between July 1, the start of this year's summer travel rush, and August 27, four days prior to its conclusion, 10.2 billion inter-regional trips were made, an increase of 3.7 percent year on year, the Ministry of Transport said. Both railway and air travel experienced surges.

A report issued by Trip.com Group, a major online travel service provider in China, in late August showed that the number of summer study tour orders it received was up 175 percent year on year.

Top destinations at home included Beijing, the capital city boasting a plethora of historic places and prestigious institutions of higher learning, and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, renowned for its grassland culture. Popular overseas destinations included the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.

Educational trips take participants not only to well-known destinations but also to remote grasslands, wetlands and forests, where they explore new frontiers of knowledge.

In 2021, the central authorities introduced a policy to ease the pressure of homework and extracurricular tutoring on first to ninth graders. Schools and parents are encouraged to focus on their all-round development instead of merely on academic excellence. Traveling is seen as an eye-opening experience that helps expand students' horizons and build character.

This growing integration of education and tourism has generated new job opportunities. Study tour guides were among the new occupations recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in June 2022. These professionals specialize in developing and implementing study trip plans. Unlike conventional tour guides, they need to draft the routes mindful of their educational value, be it the acquisition of new knowledge or the improvement of communication skills. They must also be able to teach in a way that allows students to learn while having fun.

When education meets tourism, a win-win model is likely to emerge. If operated with professionalism, both the industry and its consumer will benefit.