A new specialist ground handler and programme creator for young people around the world travelling with educational institutions has been launched in Asia. Khiri Campus today takes over from its predecessor, GROUND Asia, which effectively ceased operations in 2021, as the full impact of the pandemic took effect.
“Rebranded and relaunched, the new entity of Khiri Campus has the competitive advantage of retaining and building upon the expertise, knowledge, itineraries, reputation and contacts of GROUND Asia,” said Khiri Group Director, Simon Drayton.
Over the last five years, GROUND Asia and its new successor, Khiri Campus, have been responsible for implementing 237 projects for 4036 students in six Asian countries.
With the educational travel sector for young people growing strongly again, Drayton said that the timing for the rebrand and relaunch was right.
“The new Khiri Campus starts with fully enhanced and updated itineraries and field learning options,” he said.
“Post-covid Khiri Campus journeys have been designed for global students seeking to strengthen leadership skills and learn first-hand about different cultural, educational training experiences and MBA studys tours,” he said.
In June, Khiri Campus took 12 students from Australia on a 15-day culture-focused trip to Sri Lanka. They also facilitated and led a visit of 19 Australian college students on a 15-day trip to Java, Indonesia, where the focus was on biotech, pharmacy and public healthcare.
For universities and colleges, Khiri Campus now offers business, health care, social science and natural science learning trips. For schools there are programmes for service learning, outdoor adventures, cultural explorations and environmental work.
Khiri Campus offers programmes in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Laos.
Prior to covid, Future Market Insights (FMI) estimated that the educational tourism market was worth US$400 bn a year, with a growth rate of over 17% expected in the decade to 2031. FMI estimated that around 73% of the global educational tourism sector was generated by the 19-25 age group.
“While the pandemic halted growth temporarily, early indications are that educational travel is picking up very strongly again,” said Drayton.
“Due to pricing and the quality of cultural and field experiences, Khiri Campus expects Asia to be at the forefront of a renewed demand for educational travel for young people,” he said.