1. The Power of Youth Travel
World Travel Market
November 7, 2017
Carylann Assante, CAE
Executive Director
SYTA and SYTA Youth Foundation

2. Student & Youth Community
SYTA represents the group/organized student travel industry and provides business opportunities and resources for its association members.
The SYTA Youth Foundation is the non-profit arm of SYTA and provides travel to students who would not be able to travel due to hardship and financial need.
Teach & Travel is our brand that reaches the traveling educational community.

3. OVERVIEW Over 900 member companies:
Tour Operators, Group Travel Planners, Travel Agencies
Destinations/Provincial Marketing Organizations/CVB’s
Hotels
Attractions
Restaurants
Transportation
Insurance
Consultants/Educators/Allied Associations

4. of the SYTA YOUTH FOUNDATION
THE IMPACT
of the SYTA YOUTH FOUNDATION

5. The OFFICIAL Publication of SYTA
TEACH & TRAVEL
The OFFICIAL Publication of SYTA
MAGAZINE: Readership of 90,000 per issue, sent out 5 times per year.
eNEWS: A biweekly eNewsletter sent to over 8,000 educators.
SOCIAL COMMUNITY: Outreach through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

6. STUDENT & YOUTH TRAVEL DIGEST
Domestic and Regional U.S. Student Travel

7. STUDENT & YOUTH TRAVELERS
BY THE NUMBERS…
of all travelers worldwide are YOUTH OR STUDENTS
23%
There are
65 MILLION
young people (ages 5-25)
IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
The U.S. Student Group Market UNDER 18 is
5.6 Billion Dollar industry with an average spend of $755 per student.

8. KEY MARKET SEGMENTS GROUP/ INDIVIDUAL GROUP INDIVIDUAL Sport & Leisure
Summer/Teen
Spring Break
Language
Graduation ( HS)
College/University
GROUP
Educational
Music/Performance
INDIVIDUAL
Backpack
Gap Year
Working Holiday
Study Abroad

9. Types of Travelers Served by SYTA Members

10. AGE BREAKDOWN

11. PURPOSE OF STUDENT GROUP TRAVEL
15%
85%
Leisure
Educational
RESEARCH QUESTION:
What was the purpose of trip of the student groups you sent to the US in the past academic year (2013/14)?
___________________
Here it is confirmed by intl TOs who reported that intl student groups chiefly come for educational purposes.
Why:
The US is a popular study/academic destination (top in both secondary and post-secondary education)
Parents sending kids abroad to ‘taste’ the destination
Trip price/value -> investment -> not only fun, but also learn & explore

12. WHY: TEACHERS ORGANIZE TRAVEL
80%
69%
61%
54%
39%
24%

13. STUDENT GROUP TRAVEL PROGRAM -
TOP 10 PREFERENCES
RESEARCH QUESTION:
TEACHERS: What kind of program or group trip did the students you organized a trip for or traveled with opt for in the past academic year (2013/14)?
TOs: What kind of program or group trip did the students opt for in the past academic year (2013/14)?
Student tours related to school curriculum are the most preferred trips among groups led by teachers and U.S. tour operators alike, as stated by 65% of respondents. Leisure-oriented and other trip types are left behind.
The vast majority of the international student groups prefer trips with an educational component (85% vs. 15% leisure). Specifically, reasons for coming to the U.S. as a part of a group trip are language immersion (66%) and curriculum enhancement (57%)
*Multiple choice question

14. BARRIERS TO STUDENT GROUP TRAVEL
(as reported by teachers who do not organize trips)
RESEARCH QUESTION:
What are the barriers to organizing travel for your students?
When looking at the barriers that hinder further growth of student travel, the research identified a significant gap between the lack of finances and other existing obstacles, such as
restrictions imposed by schools. Similarly, 76% of teachers who organize school trips strongly agree that financial resources represent the main barrier. Feedback from teachers also revealed a need for tools mitigating risk connected to student travel and absence of fundraising mechanisms.
*Multiple choice question

15. MOST PREFERRED DESTINATIONS WORLDWIDE
STUDENT GROUP TRAVEL:
MOST PREFERRED DESTINATIONS WORLDWIDE
RESEARCH QUESTION:
List the most popular countries your company sent student groups to in the past academic year (2013/14).
English-speaking destinations lead the global ranking of top student group travel destinations. The U.S is the second most popular destination for group trips and 64% of tour operators said it is among the top 10 destinations they send students to.
Furthermore, tour operators from 70 countries predict a steep increase in the demand for student trips to the U.S.
% - Percentage of tour operators reporting the destination as a top 10 selling market
*Multiple choice question

16. CUSTOMIZED VS. PRE-DEFINED TRIPS
61% : 39%
Pre-defined tours
– teachers and school groups choose from itineraries or packages put together by tour operators or travel professionals.
Customized tours
– more than 50% of their itinerary is adjusted by teachers and students and tour operator is only responsible for conducting the tours.
RESEARCH QUESTION:
In your case, what was the ratio between these options in the past academic year (2013/14)?
In case of predefined tours, teachers and school groups choose from itineraries or packages put together by tour operators or travel professionals. However, some fine-tuning of the tour programs is possible. Predefined trips require less preparation by teachers, and the trip packages have already been tried by groups.
On average, 39% of teachers opt for customized tours, where more than 50% of the itinerary is adjusted by students and teachers and the tour operator is solely responsible for carrying out the tour.
Customized trips are more popular with public schools (41%) than with private schools (28%).

17. FACTORS AFFECTING PROGRAM AND DESTINATION SELECTION
Alternative slide
RESEARCH QUESTION:
What determines which destination or program students opt for?
As reported by 77% of respondents, teachers are also the main determinant when deciding on a destination or program students opt for. They are followed by costs and curriculum relations with trip content, while students make these decisions in only 28% of cases.
At private schools, the costs (52%) and distance of destination from home (11%) do not play as important a role as they do with public schools. What is important for them is the suitability of the trip content to the curriculum (52%).
*Multiple choice question

18. LISA BERRETTA, Senior Manager
Thank you
CARYLANN ASSANTE, CAE
SYTA MEMBERSHIP:
LISA BERRETTA, Senior Manager