The Value and Influence of International Student & Youth Travel

Did you know that according to the Student Marketing Youth Travel Consultancy, the youth travel industry has a market value of $241 billion? That’s approximately $221.3 billion more than the entirety of NASA’s $19.7 billion budget! The numbers don’t lie—youth travel is dominating and the value only keeps on growing, for both students and the economy. Learn more about how student and youth travel is making its mark.

With 1 in 5 tourists worldwide being a young traveler (Student Marketing Youth Travel Consultancy), it’s no wonder international travel is on the rise with students and youth—the global tourists of tomorrow. Take the United Kingdom for example:

According to the British Educational Travel Association, there were 14.9 million youth travel arrivals to the UK in 2017 with nearly 700,000 of those visits being educational in nature. And the average length of stay? A whopping 8.2 weeks! That’s a lot of time to take in the sights while gaining an enhanced level of education.

Youth who have the opportunity to travel abroad gain invaluable two-way cultural immersion and perspectives on ways of life that would otherwise not be available to them. Economically, students also stay longer and spend more than the average tourist, with 44 percent having participated in cultural events and 78 percent planning on returning again as tourists later (Student Marketing Youth Travel Consultancy).

For additional research and to view SYTA’s landmark study, the Student and Youth Travel Digest, click here.

Courtesy of SYTA Youth Foundation.