(ECNS) -- As travel agencies compete head to head for a bigger share of the summer vacation market, nearly 70 percent of netizens are turning a cold shoulder to family trip offers and as much as 94.1 percent say they prefer independent travel.
A joint online survey conducted by China News Service (CNS) and Data100 Market Research Co shows 68 percent of those polled say many of the packages travel agencies hold are specially designed for parents and children do not live up to their fancy names, while the deals are simply "nothing particular compared with regular programs."
Travel packages targeting parents with children have dominated this summer vacation's tourism market, as many modern parents view travel as an important eye opener and therefore a "must-have" for their children.
According to the CNS survey, 31.3 percent say they are in favor of such packages, while Data100's survey also indicates 32 percent are in support.
There are a great variety of choices on the market, and their prices are usually 10 to 20 percent higher than regular packages as they require special knowledge and skills in the areas of tourism, psychology, education, as well as health and safety in order to better serve the client.
However, some packages are simply regular itineraries that coincide with the summer vacation, despite being promoted as family trips.
Tourism experts say more than 50 percent of such packages on the market do not live up to expectations as they have not taken specific travel needs of children into account. Many travel agencies still focus on a low-price strategy in order to be competitive, thus resulting in boring and tiring itineraries.
The survey also found that comfort is a priority when parents select such packages. Other factors, such as no extra payments, no shopping and the inclusion of a certain number of high-priced entrance tickets are also among the issues parents care most about.
A mother surnamed Zhang, who is planning a trip to Phuket Island in Thailand with her family, says price is not a priority for her, but accommodation must be good and a non-stop flight is also a must.
In addition, the CNS survey shows holiday resorts, theme parks, and landscape trips are most favored by netizens, accounting for 28.6 percent, 22.4 percent and 20.4 percent respectively, while the survey conducted by Data100 shows the same top three, at 57 percent, 39 percent and 46 percent respectively.
A recent report by Beijing Times cited online travel institutions as saying theme parks, water parks or beach and island trips, alongside ecological trips, are the top three preferred travel options for parents and children this summer. Interactive activities, such as pottery making and fruit harvesting have also seen rising popularity.
