Youth travel is travel by youth. Unlike typical vacations, youth travel is motivated by several factors, including the desire to experience other cultures, build unique life experience, and benefit from formal and informal learning opportunities from other countries, including education or work abroad.
In 2017, the top destinations for youth travel were the United States, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Thailand, and Austria. [1]
The youth travel market accounted for over 20% of all international arrivals in 2014 (equals to 227 million arrivals and US$250 billion). [2] It is estimated that youth and student travel will generate more international arrivals than business travel by the end of this year. [3]
Youth travellers stay longer (average 53 days), they spend more (US$1,000 to US$6,000 per trip) and travel more frequently (1.44 trip pa) [4] than the average tourist while they use their money with local retailers.
Youth travel has been a stable and ongoingly growing industry. Boasting continued growth also during and despite the global economic downturn – outperforming global tourism (e.g. in 2012, 28.8% 5YTD increase in Higher Education).
Youth travel influences the size and patterns of global tourism development. Young travellers form their future purchasing and travelling patterns often based on their youth travel experiences (estimated lifetime travel budget at US$80,000).
A conservative estimate predicts that the youth, student and educational travel market will reach 300 million arrivals by 2020 and represent US$320 billion in market value.
Youth travel is becoming increasingly more important within global tourism. In the 1990s, it represented 15% of the tourism market, with it increasing to 20% in the last decade, and expected to reach 25% in the near future.
Rapidly rising middle class (from current US$2 billion to US$5 billion in 2030) and increased access to more disposable income, means more purchasing power – the number of youth travellers is on the rise – in 2012, nearly 30% of young people described themselves as ”tourists” compared to about 15% in 2002. [5]
Diversification in destinations and source markets has seen growth at the expense of developed countries across all youth travel sectors, incl. student and educational travel market.
Brazil, India, China or other emerging countries have been the markets of interest for many governments, destinations, investment capital or international brands wanting to develop and expand. They are recovering and rising faster than developed countries - gaining an increasingly more global market share.
Internet is used more for reference, social content (reviews, rankings, sharing, recommendations) and travel planning (destination research) than for actual online shopping and booking. This slower growth of online booking in youth travel as opposed to global tourism underlines the importance of tour operators and travel agencies to the youth market.
Tour operators and travel agencies represent an important distribution, booking and promotional channel in youth travel, accounting for up to 80% of all bookings, with increasing trend of their usage by end customers. There are more than 16,000 student tour operators and travel agencies estimated in this market.
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only", as people "travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and not less than 24 hours, business and other purposes". Tourism can be domestic or international, and international tourism has both incoming and outgoing implications on a country's balance of payments.
Tourism in Australia is an important part of the Australian economy, and comprises domestic and international visitors. Australia is the fortieth most visited country in the world according to the World Tourism Organization. In the financial year 2018/19, tourism was Australia's fourth-largest export and over the previous decade was growing faster than national GDP growth. At the time it represented 3.1% of Australia's GDP contributing A$60.8 billion to the national economy.
Tourism in New Zealand comprised an important sector of the national economy – tourism directly contributed NZ$16.2 billion of the country's GDP in the year ended March 2019. As of 2016 tourism supported 188,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. The flow-on effects of tourism indirectly contributed a further 4.3% of GDP. Despite the country's geographical isolation, spending by international tourists accounted for 17.1% of New Zealand's export earnings. International and domestic tourism contributed, in total, NZ$34 billion to New Zealand's economy every year as of 2017.
A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destination. Travel agencies can provide outdoor recreation, arranging logistics for luggage and medical items delivery for travellers upon request, public transport timetables, car rentals, and bureau de change services. Travel agencies can also serve as general sales agents for airlines that do not have offices in a specific region. A travel agency's main function is to act as an agent, selling travel products and services on behalf of a supplier. They are also called Travel Advisors. They do not keep inventory in-hand unless they have pre-booked hotel rooms or cabins on a cruise ship for a group travel event such as a wedding, honeymoon, or other group event.
Tourism in the United Kingdom is a major industry and contributor to the U.K. economy, which is the world's 10th biggest tourist destination, with over 40.1 million visiting in 2019, contributing a total of £234 billion to the GDP.
Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social, and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities. Sustainable tourism should embrace concerns for environmental protection, social equity, and the quality of life, cultural diversity, and a dynamic, viable economy delivering jobs and prosperity for all. It has its roots in sustainable development and there can be some confusion as to what "sustainable tourism" means. There is now broad consensus that tourism should be sustainable. In fact, all forms of tourism have the potential to be sustainable if planned, developed and managed properly. Tourist development organizations are promoting sustainable tourism practices in order to mitigate negative effects caused by the growing impact of tourism, for example its environmental impacts.
Tourism is an economic contributor to the Kingdom of Thailand. Estimates of tourism revenue directly contributing to the GDP of 12 trillion baht range from one trillion baht (2013) 2.53 trillion baht (2016), the equivalent of 9% to 17.7% of GDP. When including indirect travel and tourism receipts, the 2014 total is estimated to be the equivalent of 19.3% of Thailand's GDP. According to the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council in 2019, projections indicate the tourism sector will account for 30% of GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019, Thailand expects to receive 80 million visitors in 2027.
Tourism in China is a growing industry that is becoming a significant part of the Chinese economy. The rate of tourism has expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening-up. The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of world's largest outbound tourist markets. According to Euromonitor International, economic growth and higher incomes in nearby Asian countries will help China to become the world's number one tourist destination by 2030.
Tourism is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of Brazil. The country had 6.589 million visitors in 2018, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America after Argentina and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina. Revenues from international tourists reached US$5.8 billion in 2015, continuing a recovery trend from the 2008–2009 economic crisis.
Tourism in Greenland is a relatively young business area of the country. Since the foundation of the national tourist council, Greenland Tourism, in 1992, the Home Rule Government has been working actively with promoting the destination and helping smaller tourist providers to establish their services. Foreign travel agencies have increasingly been opening up sale of Greenland trips and tours, and the cruise industry has had a relatively large increase in routes to Greenland since about the turn of the century.
Tourism in Vietnam is a component of the modern Vietnamese economy. In 2019, Vietnam received 18 million international arrivals, up from 2.1 million in the year 2000. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is following a long-term plan to diversify the tourism industry, which brings foreign exchange into the country.
Despite a high potential for tourism, tourism in Madagascar is underdeveloped. Madagascar's tourist attractions include its beaches and biodiversity. The island's endemic wildlife and forests are unique tourist attractions. However, historical sites, craftsmen communities, and relaxed cities make it a favorite with return travellers.
Tourism in Iran provides a wide range of activities from hiking and skiing in the Alborz and Zagros mountains, to beach holidays by the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Iran's rich culture and history is reflected in large part by its 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ranking first in the Middle East, and 10th in the world. Alongside the capital city Tehran, the most popular tourist destinations are Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad.
The World Travel Monitor (WTM) / European Travel Monitor (ETM) is a worldwide tourism information system detailing the foreign (outbound) travel behaviour practiced by a country’s respective resident population.
Tourism in Armenia has been a key sector to the Armenian economy since the 1990s when tourist numbers exceeded half a million people visiting the country every year. The Armenian Ministry of Economy reports that most international tourists come from Russia, EU states, the United States and Iran. Though relatively small in size, Armenia has four UNESCO world heritage sites.
Tourism in Nunavut focuses on outdoor activities and culture of the local Inuit, the indigenous people of Nunavut. Wildlife watching is a popular tourist attraction, as the territory is home to a number of wildlife and bird sanctuaries. It is possible to spot walrus, polar bears, a large variety of birds and belugas throughout Nunavut. Outdoor adventure activities are also popular. Nunavut has a wide and lengthy river system, meaning that there are a large number of canoeing and kayaking opportunities to suit experienced travellers. Nunavut's vast expanse of uninhabited territory offers many opportunities for hiking and camping. However, the region's often extreme conditions and remote location often necessitates a guide, even for experienced campers.
Wellness tourism is voluntary travel to world-wide destinations for the purpose of promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities.
Trip.com is a multinational travel service conglomerate with 45,000 employees. It is one of the world's largest online travel agencies with over 400 million users worldwide, and also the parent of Skyscanner. It is headquartered in Singapore.
International tourism is tourism that crosses national borders. Globalisation has made tourism a popular global leisure activity. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes". The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 500,000 people are in flight at any one time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals could have decreased by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US $0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts.