Hong Kong families are turning away from long-standing summer school favourites in Britain and North America amid soaring airfares, with education consultants reporting a sharp surge in demand for alternatives in Asia.
Applications for British summer schools fell 35% this year as Hong Kong parents balk at soaring airfares, fuelled by the war in Iran, according to Samuel Chan Sze-ming, founder of education consultancy Britannia StudyLink.
The firm acts as an agent for programmes in the United Kingdom, with public listings showing a two-week residential camp costing HK$34,800 (146,000 baht) in fees alone from June to August - around HK$1,960 more than last year.
The camp combines English tuition with sports and cultural excursions. Chan said a typical group comprises 15 students, targeting those aged six to 18.
Flight booking data shows that round-trip economy fares to London have climbed to HK$8,500 in August, marking a 39% increase from the HK$6,100 average in May.
Chan said more parents were turning their attention to Asia.
"This trend is something we observe only in this year, with a 200% surge in application numbers for Asian summer tours," he said.
Public fee schedules for the firm's Japan alpine residential camp show prices from HK$14,980, up roughly HK$180 from last year, while its Malaysia British-style boarding school camp ranges from HK$18,900 to HK$34,000, up roughly 20% at the top end compared with last year.
The shift is visible across the industry. Brian Lee Ka-hung, founder of RUGI.AI, an online study abroad platform, also said Malaysia has emerged as a new summer tour option for Hong Kong families, with the firm receiving up to 70 inquiries for the coming intake.
Lee noted that a two-week residential camp in Malaysia costs about HK$21,000, compared with roughly HK$48,000 for a comparable university preparation programme in Britain, which is more than double.
"As the economy remains stagnant in Hong Kong now, I would say the southeast Asian tours have become more attractive to people," he said.
The company has operated for a year and initially targeted a business-to-business model by organising study tours to Canada in partnership with local Hong Kong schools.
But Lee said the firm shifted to a business-to-consumer model early this year after partner schools were unable to organise trips.
The company now recruits students and parents directly, with its Canadian boarding school partners pooling applicants from different agencies into classes of 10 to 12 of similar ages but mixed nationalities, ranging from middle to high school students.
But the reorientation has not fully stemmed the decline. Lee said application numbers for its programmes in Canada still fell by around 30% compared with last year, when the company still worked through school partnerships.
This year's Fifa World Cup, running from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, has driven airfares sharply higher.
Fares on the Hong Kong-Toronto route have risen more steeply, with average August fares to the Canadian city reaching HK$15,800 - up 75.5% from HK$9,000 in May.
On top of airfares, a two-week science and technology camp is already priced at the HK$29,000.
