The importance of youth tourism market in international tourism

Youth and student travel is still one of the fastest growing segments of the global travel market and despite the uncertain climate in the industry, all indications point to a continued growth. Demand is continuously rising, competition is growing, the need for diversification and new supply channels is increasing, and the ability to cross over between sectors is now more important than ever. Although the industry has long recognised that the youth travel market is an important generator of tourism and more significantly, offers better than average potential for future growth, measurement of its size and importance has not been easy because of a shortage of supporting statistical data. This is the main reason why the market still tends to be neglected. Estimates from the different organisations and associations involved in the youth tourism business, such as the Federation of International Youth Travel Organisations (FIYTO), have put the size of the youth travel market as high as 20 percent of all international travellers - although this depends, of course, on how the sector is defined.