The importance of youth tourism market in international tourism

    Asist. univ. drd. Claudia MOISĂ – Universitatea ”1 Decembrie 1918”, Alba Iulia

Abstract:
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.

Key words: youth tourism, tourism market, international tourism

JEL Code: L 83