Travel spend by students has increased by 40 per cent since 2007, despite the global economic climate, with young travellers demanding ever more varied services, found the World Youth Student and Education Travel Confederation (WYSE Travel Confederation) in its New Horizon’s III report. More young people than ever before are travelling to gain work and cultural experiences, while those travelling purely for holidays has significantly fallen from over 75 per cent in 2007 to just 47 per cent.
The report reveals the dramatically changing nature of the youth travel industry, which is becoming increasingly complex with a greater diversity of demographics and age categories now seeing themselves as youth travellers and consuming the products and services traditionally associated with the sector. The report will be unveiled at The World Youth Student Travel Conference in Sydney on September 17.
The age demographic of people classing themselves as youth travellers has broadened, indicating that youth travel is a state of mind rather than an age bracket, the report noted. Young travellers are spending longer than before abroad, with the number of trips over 60 days having increased over the last five years .
The report pointed out that youth travel is not all about budget accommodation and travel, with a significant rise in travellers identifying themselves as more up-scale ‘flashpackers’ . Moreover, hostels have overtaken hotels as the most popular form of accommodation, reflecting how they are adapting to meet the demands of modern youth travellers and increasing the variety of services they offer.
Further, the way young travellers communicate while abroad has changed greatly, with social media now the most popular way for young people to stay in touch with friends and family. The places that young people are traveling to are changing. Youth travellers are spending less time in major gateway cities and are exploring more remote destinations than previously, the report stated.
David Chapman, Secretary General, WYSE Travel Confederation, said, “The report reveals a wealth of invaluable information on how the youth travel industry is changing and what demands young travellers are now seeking from their trips abroad.”
The report is the latest edition in a benchmark study, which was first conducted in 2002 and later in 2007. Over 34,000 young travellers from 137 countries took part in the survey.