<p>As key members of study travel teams, the competency levels of study travel instructors directly impact the quality of study travels. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with five higher vocational college teachers specializing in study travels and five employees from study travel companies to explore the current state and future pathways for cultivating study travel instructors in Chinese higher vocational colleges. The findings reveal that while higher vocational college-trained study travel instructors have a high level of professional recognition, their competency alignment is relatively low. There are several issues identified, such as the lack of practical experience, insufficient professional knowledge, inadequate creativity, and a weak sense of responsibility. It is recommended that higher vocational colleges collaborate closely with enterprises to plan talent cultivation pathways and restructure the curriculum for study travel instructor programs, based on the competency requirements for study travel instructors.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0715/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>