How are Asia’s resort destinations leveraging the growth of international schools

One spin-off industry of international schools is year-round camps that provide accommodation, programming, and activities for school groups

One clear sign of Asia’s economic maturation is the surge in international schools. These are rapidly proliferating across the region and are no longer just the domain of local wealthy families and expatriates. Education is highly valued in the Asian context, attracting students from the country where the school is located and benefitting from the massive surge in global migration.

One key example of this trend is the resort island of Phuket in Thailand, where there are currently 13 international schools. According to research from consulting group C9 Hotelworks, this number will double in the next five years, with the pipeline seeing more and more UK-based institutions spreading their wings and benefiting from brand recognition.

In Japan, the Harrow School Appi, located in the alpine resort area of Appi Kogen, has been a resounding success. Located four hours from Tokyo, the boarding school has nearly 250 students and is looking to expand. Despite a strong student base of Japanese students, another major demographic is from China, given the close proximity of the two countries. While it is a resort location, parents view these types of areas, which offer large-scale sporting and outdoor activities, as an attraction in providing a well-balanced education.

One spin-off industry of international schools is year-round camps that provide accommodation, programming, and activities for school groups. In Japan’s leading alpine tourism destination Niseko, MnK founder and fellow PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Greater Niseko) judge Eddie Guillemette founded the EdVenture camp nearly a decade ago. The journey for EdVenture has been progressively growing from a summer offering into a full four-season, multi-activity camp.

Coming up in the winter season, MnK has partnered with Swiss group Les Elfes International to offer a new purpose-built dorm facility at Country Resort in Niseko for school groups, and this facility will double in size over the following year. Les Elfes specialises in school field trips, camps, and excursions across various destinations and sees enormous growth potential in Asia.

Turning to Asia’s tropics, a passion for football has been realised at the PSG Academy at the Maraleina Sports Resort in Koh Samui. Here, a growing number of tournaments attract international schools from the region, together with summer and training camps. Branding has been a boost for the facility with its affiliation to the famed football club Paris Saint-Germain.

Drilling down into the allure of these resort destinations to international schools and camps is the connection to real estate. These remain dynamic growth accelerators in property, both for families and school staff. Phuket is witnessing an unparalleled trend of Thai families fleeing urban areas like polluted Bangkok, coupled with a wave of overseas migration from Eastern Europe and from other urban centres in Asia. Japan is now seeing a growing appetite in its resort markets for similar institutions. Other segments set to benefit are camps and programmes that serve what is becoming a booming marketplace.

About Bill Barnett

Bill Barnett — a globally recognised hospitality, tourism, and real estate advisor — is the founder and managing director of Asia-based C9 Hotelworks and esteemed member of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Greater Niseko) Judging Panel.

In addition to being a leading consultant, he is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.  With over 30 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region, he has an extensive background in hotel operations, development, and asset management. His past employment highlights include Senior Corporate roles at international hotel chains and publically listed companies. Bill is considered to be one of the foremost industry experts in the hotel residences sector.  To date, Bill is the author of four books on travel, property, and hospitality under the titles of Slave to the Bean, Collective Swag, It Might Get Weird and Last Call.

For more information, email: [email protected].