What do Parents Look for in an Overseas Youth Summer Camp? Perspectives of Chinese Parents

Abstract

Sending children to overseas summer camps has quickly become a popular practice for Chinese parents. The sizable market as a result of the potency of the Chinese economy and the current lack of understanding of parental decision-making factors are the primary motivating factors for this research. Specifically, this research attempts to shed light on the perspectives of Chinese parents concerning the specific traits and characteristics of overseas summer camps they perceive as attractive and what benefits they seek from such an experience for their children. Employing the notions of push (internal) and pull (external) factors as a theoretical backdrop, this study tested a model of perceived attractiveness of overseas youth summer camps via a sample of 234 Chinese parents. The findings suggest that both push and pull factors positively contribute to the perceived attractiveness of overseas summer camps. While sharing similar preferences with Western customers in some aspects of a summer camp, the Chinese parents were found to have unique camp attribute preferences and motives. Theoretical as well as relevant practical implications are discussed.