New statistics

The World Tourism Organization have just published "Youth Travel Matters -
Understanding the Global Phenomenon of Youth Travel"

"This report provides a fresh picture of today’s young traveller and shows that youth travel is:

…an important industry
• With an estimated 160 million international tourist arrivals a year, youth travel would account for over 20% of international tourist arrivals;
• the youth travel market is worth an estimated US$ 136 billion a year, or around 18% of worldwide international tourism receipts;
• due to longer average trip duration, a typical youth traveller spends more than the average tourist during his/her trip. The average youth traveller spends US$ 2,600 per trip, of which US$ 1,550 is spent in the destination;
• as a proportion of the total income, young people spend more than any other group on international travel.

…a growing market
• Total average travel expenditure by young people increased by 39% between 2002 and 2007;
• with global volume growth of 3-5% a year and spend increasing by 8% a year, the youth market is growing faster than most other travel segments;
• the average number of trips taken over the past five years by young people increased from 6.2 in 2002 to 7.3 in 2007, indicating a growing frequency of travel;
• as people try to stay young with ‘youth’ travel styles extending into their early 30s, the market for youth travel products will continue to grow;
• 50% of youth accommodation suppliers increased their capacity in 2006.

…an opportunity to reinforce positive values
• Young people undertake long trips, primarily to increase their knowledge of the world and to encounter and learn about other cultures;
• 70% of all trips taken by young people are motivated by goals such as a desire to explore, work or study abroad;
• over 80% of young travellers report that their trip has changed their overall lifestyle in some way, and the majority said that they were travelling in a more responsible manner and thinking more about issues such as social justice and poverty."