Innovating Parent-Child Leisure: Trends and Opportunities
Audio:
Text:
In recent years, the parent-child leisure travel market has experienced rapid growth, characterised by high profitability, strong appeal, and significant potential. However, the development of product forms, quality, and renewal iterations have lagged behind the consumption demands of the urban middle class, including in areas such as water slides.
So, how can one seize the opportunities in this industry?
We believe that systematic industrial research should guide the swift development of tourism products and the industrial chain. By conducting detailed studies of market trends, business models, and exemplary cases both domestically and internationally, as well as examining the iterative evolution of various products, we propose the innovative concept of parent-child leisure.
Consequently, the parent-child leisure branch of the China Theme Park Research Institute was established. This initiative aims to create a smart hub with a senior industry research team at its core, and to develop an integrated platform for production, investment, and research in the field of parent-child leisure, in collaboration with leading enterprises in the industry and tourism investment institutions.
Parent-Child Leisure and Travel: Supply Side Iteration
1. The Concept of Parent-Child Leisure
Parent-child travel is not a novel concept. Broadly speaking, family travel at any stage of parenting can be considered parent-child travel. Since the advent of tourism, parent-child tours have existed. Particularly after the 1980s generation in our country became parents, there has been a heightened focus on children’s education and expanding horizons, leading to a flourishing of various parent-child products.
However, from the product perspective, the development of parent-child products has been relatively slow, often limited to a mix of theme parks, zoos, hotels, and other parent-child rooms.
So, what exactly is “parent-child leisure”? The term can be divided into “parent-child” and “leisure”.
Firstly, the iteration of “parent-child” has evolved from a single product form to a diversified product form centred around children’s perception and experience. The focus has shifted from hardware to a greater emphasis on content and service.
Then, there is the transformation of “leisure”. Leisure is a normal way of life. While “travel” is a form of leisure, it is low-frequency and often concentrated around holidays in China. In contrast, “leisure” can occur every weekend, making it high-frequency. For families in large cities, traditional business circles have become monotonous, presenting a vast market opportunity.
Thus, parent-child leisure originates from parent-child travel but surpasses traditional parent-child travel. It requires changes or iterations in business models, locations, products, and content, leading to a larger market scale and higher consumption frequency. For water park equipment designers and manufacturers, such as Lanchao, it is essential to consider these factors for water slides.
