WYSTC speakers explore how youth tourism promotes global economy
WYSTC, the annual conference of the global youth tourism industry, held this year in San Diego, California, was off to an incredible start yesterday with three key speakers highlighting how youth travel is revitalizing the global economy.
The conference was officially opened by Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who hailed youth travel as the primary means to promote the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of global tourism.
“Young people travel with a purpose, to explore and to engage. They mix their travel with study, work, volunteer placements, and adventure. They tend to stay longer, and thus spend more than the average tourist, explore new destinations and interact more closely with the communities they visit, making a direct contribution to local economies,” Mr. Rifai told conference delegates.
WYSE Travel Confederation, the organizers of WYSTC, estimates that youth travel generates in excess of US$173 billion annually, with much of the growth led by young people continuing to travel despite economic uncertainty.
Blain Rethmeier, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations at the US Travel Association, also welcomed attendees to San Diego and echoed comments made by President Barack Obama in early 2012, in which he proclaimed that travel and tourism were an essential part of the US economy and a major source of job creation.
The conference was officially opened by Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who hailed youth travel as the primary means to promote the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of global tourism.
“Young people travel with a purpose, to explore and to engage. They mix their travel with study, work, volunteer placements, and adventure. They tend to stay longer, and thus spend more than the average tourist, explore new destinations and interact more closely with the communities they visit, making a direct contribution to local economies,” Mr. Rifai told conference delegates.
WYSE Travel Confederation, the organizers of WYSTC, estimates that youth travel generates in excess of US$173 billion annually, with much of the growth led by young people continuing to travel despite economic uncertainty.
Blain Rethmeier, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations at the US Travel Association, also welcomed attendees to San Diego and echoed comments made by President Barack Obama in early 2012, in which he proclaimed that travel and tourism were an essential part of the US economy and a major source of job creation.