Homework for Educational Travel

In 2021, Group NAO was commissioned by a leading Scandinavian tour operator to undertake a cross-national market mapping and potential analysis of group study tours for upper-secondary education across seven Northern European markets: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Iceland. The study set out to explore a largely under-documented niche within educational travel. It examined study tours as a product concept, including typologies, learning purposes, and the decision-making processes within schools. It also analysed business models, budgets, and financing mechanisms, alongside emerging trends such as sustainability-focused travel and the growing influence of international education networks like Erasmus+, Nordplus, eTwinning, and Model United Nations.

While upper-secondary study tours are widespread across Northern Europe, the study revealed a fragmented market, shaped by national school systems, teacher traditions, and budget constraints. Rather than a single scalable market, there is a heterogeneous landscape with distinct national logics, decision-making structures, and funding frameworks. The study's strategic reflections clarify this market complexity, surface constraints, and outline where operators in this niche might want to head next.