Youth Tourism – travel boom
New statistics show that young travellers aged 16-24 are the travel industry’s fastest growing sector, representing over 20% of all international visitors.
Compared with average tourists, adventurous young backpackers stay longer, spend more, seek out alternative destinations and enjoy a wider mix of travel experiences and not surprisingly they are increasingly being viewed as the future of global tourism by the travel industry.
The growing significance of this sector was also highlighted recently with the launch of a pioneering partnership between two leading tourism organisations – The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World Youth & Student Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, with their objective being to promote and develop this multi-billion pound industry by encouraging governments to actively support and develop youth tourism products and services.
A recent study produced by WYSE Travel & UNWTO shows that surprisingly few countries are currently engaged in developing youth travel, despite the fact that 60% recognise this market as fundamental to the future of their tourism industry. Only a third of the world’s tourism authorities have a specific student or youth tourism policy; less than a third collect statistics on this sector; only a quarter have policies for product development; and less than a third have a marketing policy.
David Jones, Director General of WYSE Travel Confederation said, “Young travellers of today set travel trends for the future and make a unique contribution to local economies and cultures”. “We look forward to a fruitful partnership with UNWTO in delivering this message to governments and industry worldwide”.
Throughout 2007 and beyond, the UNWTO and WYSE Travel Confederation will host a series of international seminars and will produce a compendium of research about the positive impact of youth travel and at the heart of this campaign will be the promotion of responsible travel habits and practices, as well as the sustainable development of tourism.
Representing 550 specialist youth travel organisations in 118 countries, WYSE Travel Confederation’s mission is to “increase international understanding through the promotion of travel and educational opportunities for students and youth”.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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