At the Funliving Global Partner Conference and Tomato Education International’s 10th Anniversary Conference held on October 16, industry leaders, accommodation operators, and study-abroad partners gathered to launch a unified operational roadmap for the evolving study-abroad ecosystem.
Despite macro-level economic rebalancing, international student demand remains strong – especially in popular student cities including London, Manchester, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Key findings presented by Funliving’s COO Jeffery Yang at the summit revealed that student inquiries rose 25% year-on-year, with confirmed accommodation bookings increasing by 19%.
Studio and one-bedroom share bookings grew by 3.2%, accompanied by an average rent increase of 11% across eight major international markets. Secondary destinations such as Manchester and Edinburgh recorded the fastest growth.
Data from the panellists from organisations including Funliving Digital, British Council and EIC further reaffirmed these market fundamentals. Total Chinese study demand, including overseas study, domestic TNE programs, and regional hubs is once again nearing its 2019 peak, indicating market diversification rather than overall contraction.
In-person UK enrolment stands at over 140,000 Chinese students, with direct undergraduate applications from mainland China reaching 38,000, and 61% securing offers from QS Top 100 universities.
Meanwile, the average timeline from initial student contact to confirmed housing booking quadrupled from 11 days to over 44 days, requiring longer, highly responsive follow-up workflows.
Social media feeds and verified peer reviews have replaced traditional search routes as primary discovery channels. To engage students earlier in their research phase, operators and partners are co-creating city-level content and co-branded storytelling that showcase authentic local living, safety, and neighbourhood culture alongside accommodation details.
Summer Zhao, digital marketing director at Funliving, highlighted that in China, as traffic becomes increasingly expensive, the only thing that truly stays on social media is content.
Wu Xinping from the British Council Beijing noted that the one-year UK Master’s degree originated during the British Industrial Revolution to rapidly cultivate applied talents. Featuring high course density and heavy academic intensity, it is far from the “low-quality degree” rumoured in some Chinese markets.
When talking about what new generation of students truly expect, delegates warned operators against the “homogeneous product trap”: blindly investing in premium amenities such as cinemas and rooftop lounges that students rarely use.
Students are a sophisticated and valued audience and when travelling to the UK it is increasingly important we offer more than just a bed to sleep in
Paul Watson, Now Student Living
Instead, the new generation of international students prioritises practical and full-cycle support including efficient layouts with ample storage, in-unit or accessible laundry facilities, and rransparent, verified room details and 24/7 service support throughout the entire stay cycle.
Paul Watson, managing director at Now Student Living stated: “Students are a sophisticated and valued audience and when travelling to the UK it is increasingly important we offer more than just a bed to sleep in. We are proud to offer safety and security alongside a community for students to feel part of and so their families feel confident they are being looked after”.
A core milestone of the summit was establishing a clear strategic distinction between ordinary channels and long-term partners. While ordinary channels operate with a narrow focus on short-term booking volumes and commission fees, partners focus on mutual brand amplification and aligned long-term goals.
In addition, partners supply vital local market intelligence, regional recruitment insight, and on-ground student service support. Rather than limiting their involvement strictly to initial booking transactions, strategic partners serve as an extended support team providing 24/7 service coordination across the entire student stay cycle.
Central to this partnership model is transparent data sharing and technical integration. Operators and partners agreed to move beyond sharing final booking numbers by opening real-time visibility across the entire conversion funnel, including inquiry rates and student feedback.
Crucially, true partners support cross-region brand growth while avoiding price competition that cannibalises the same student source markets. As a result, summit delegates agreed to move away from destructive commission price wars and “race-to-the-bottom” cashback schemes, transitioning toward multi-dimensional evaluation systems that assess partners on lead generation, brand exposure, inquiry volume, and overall service quality.
Panels featuring universities, payment providers, and accommodation operators reached strong consensus that post-offer and arrival support represents the next major value driver for student satisfaction.
