Five ways to get the attention of prospects and competitors

At this year’s World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) in Lisbon, Portugal, WYSE Travel Confederation’s Research and Education Manager Wendy Morrill outlined five ways that you can attract the attention of prospective partners and competitors in youth travel. 

If you missed WYSTC this year, here are some of the WYSE resources that can help your organisation stand out to other professionals in the industry. 

Speak up
Speaking at youth travel industry events like the World Youth and Student Travel Conference, STAY WYSE and WETM-IAC. WYSE webinars are also a great way to get your voice out to potential partners and competitors in youth and student travel. 

Share
A very simple way to get the attention of others in youth travel is to share your organisation’s news in the WYSE Weekender. Every Friday, the WYSE Weekender brings the most relevant news for youth travel professionals to your inbox. You’ll also be introduced to new Members in the WYSE community and be notified of other important Member benefits. 

Share your knowledge and opinion on the WYSE Ask Us Anything podcast. Featuring interviews with travel and tourism professionals on topics related to the under-30 travel market, the Ask Us Anything podcast is a great way to amplify your voice in youth travel. The podcast is widely distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon and anywhere you might find a podcast, so even your mom or kids can listen!  

Advocate
Get involved in WYSE conversations that demonstrate the economic and social value of travel for young people. 

We know that that youth travel market is often overlooked as “cheap” or no different than any other segment of travellers, but we also have data to indicate otherwise. Youth travel is: 

• ages 15 to 29 
• 23% of international arrivals 
• not just holiday, but educational and cultural exchange programmes abroad 
• made up of longer stays and higher spend than you might expect 
• trendsetting for mainstream tourism 
• valuable via repeat visitation over lifetime and word-of-mouth promotion 
• a key demographic for expanding the adoption of responsible, fair and environmentally conscious travel behaviours 

The “cheap” tourism card was recently played by New Zealand’s minister for tourism in a bid to direct the country’s efforts to attract wealthy tourists rather than those who had a modest daily budget and chose to eat “two-minute noodles”. However, data from WYSE Travel Confederation’s New Horizons study indicate that young travellers are willing to splurge on unique food/drink experiences, as well as special events and festivals. We spoke up on behalf of youth travel on LinkedIn – and we heard from those on the ground too. So, follow WYSE Travel Confederation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and add your voice to advocate for youth travel. 

Research
Get involved with WYSE research studies on international travel and the youth and student market worldwide, including New Horizons.  

The fifth wave of the New Horizons study will launch in 2023. This one-of-a-kind study is in its 21st year and will be critical to our industry’s recovery. Where are young people travelling to? How long are they staying and what are they doing there? How much are they spending and on what?  

In addition to these core questions of the study, there are so many new questions about international travel since the COVID-19 pandemic: 

• Are the virtual experiences adopted during the pandemic here to stay? 
• How has remote work affected the digital nomad trend? 
• How are young travellers thinking about climate change on the one hand and their travel behaviour on the other? 
• How do young travellers think about visas and other international travel requirements now? 

That’s just a few, but surely you have other questions that could potentially be answered by this global survey. There are many ways to get involved with the New Horizons study: 

• Highlight your brand and product in the survey or reports 
• Include your business questions in the survey for a custom analysis 
• Share the survey 

And of course, when New Horizons findings are published in a report that is free to Members, use them to advocate for youth travel and your organisation. 

If you joined this session at WYSTC, thank you for listening! If you were not able to join us for WYSTC this year, we hope to see you soon! Either way, we hope you’ll consider these WYSE Travel Confederation Member resources to help advance your organisation’s objectives and business serving young international travellers. Contact us if you have questions about these resources.