An increasing number of students in Guangzhou, a booming south China city, are looking for ways to "travel and study abroad" as the winter vacation nears.

 

Apart from language training institutes many local travel agencies have established ties with other countries which students can visit and study for two weeks to a month during the holidays.

 

EMETC English Training Center's Guangzhou director, George Luo said: "The demand has grown since the New Year. Many parents have come to us asking how their families can study abroad during the vacation. Chinese students are now in a foreign-travel frenzy. And many, encouraged by their parents, think visiting foreign countries can improve their language skills."

 

GZL International Travel Service (CGZL) is one of Guangzhou's leading travel agencies focusing on overseas tours. Their spokeswoman Lu Yujing said: "Our routes to Japan and the UK have been open since the New Year. And almost all of them were booked by parents for their children."

 

The agency tried to open a route to Australia but visa registration limitations forced it to give up the idea, she said. "Parents show a lot more interest in booking such tours. We're in talks with several language training institutes and visa registration agencies to deal with the increasing demand," Lu explained.

 

The fees for traveling and studying abroad for two weeks ranged from 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) to 30,000 yuan (US$3,750), added Lu.

 

But parents don't seem to be concerned about the high fees. Pan Yanyan, who works for a foreign-funded company, said: "The only thing I want is my son to improve his English and learn how to live alone in an English-speaking country." She has booked with CGZL for her son to study in the UK. And he's just 12.

 

Guangzhou Best English Training Center Director, Li Anhong said: "The demand for short overseas study programs is rising rapidly. As a language training institute we too want a share of the market. We'll have a traveling and studying abroad program during the next summer vacation."

 

But experts have asked people to think "more rationally" as a short program won't be of much assistance to a student's language skills.

 

(China Daily January 19, 2007)