World Youth and Student Travel Conference to open in Sydney

The 22nd World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) will be taking place in Sydney this week offering an unrivalled program of relevant, rewarding, entertaining and enjoyable networking opportunities and social events for youth-orientated tourism buyers and suppliers.

Being held from 17th to 20th September at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event has been welcomed by Tourism Australia Managing Director, Andrew McEvoy and Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) Managing Director, Felicia Mariani for bringing the international youth tourism industry right to the door of Australian suppliers.

Mariani explained "this conference will give our industry suppliers, and particularly those targeted towards the youth market, great exposure in the international marketplace.

"As the major global youth and student education and travel event, WYSTC will provide our smaller operators with the capacity to engage with distributors they might not normally have access to, particularly for those who can't afford to travel to this annual global conference.

"The event will bring distributors from over 80 countries to Sydney where our suppliers will have front row access to the international businesses that can deliver them the customers they need."

Mariani believes WYSTC 2013 as a timely opportunity for the Australian youth sector to propel itself further into the international market.

Mariani added "the Australian youth and education travel sector has been struggling, particularly following the GFC, and this will be a great opportunity for our product to re-engage with the international distributors who will help to sell their product as the market strengthens."

McEvoy sees that despite recent challenges, the youth segment remained an important part of Australias visitor mix, representing just under a third of total international arrivals in 2011.

He added "while we have seen some growth in the youth sector over the past few years - with young people looking to escape the difficult economic situations, particularly in Europe - these visitors have significantly changed the way they travel and now are more likely to stay in major cities and work rather than travel around Australia engaging with tourism product.

"We must strengthen the message that Australia is a wonderful destination full of unique experiences, adventure and a place to explore fully and WYSTC will help sell that message and overcome some of the declining engagement amongst youth travellers with regional Australia."

Events being staged during the four-day conference are designed to give delegates the opportunity to meet new clients, connect with current clients and create partnerships to help create future business opportunities.

WYSTC is the only event of its kind globally and is the annual event of World Youth, Student and Educational Travel Travel Confederation, which is endorsed by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and UNESCO.

The event is aimed at all levels of the global youth travel industry including directors, senior managers and chief executives from sectors including education, study abroad, language, work abroad, volunteering, internships, cultural exchange, accommodation and more.

For more information contact the World Youth, Student and Educational Travel Confederation on +31 20 421 2800, E: imthere@wystc.org, www.wystc.org

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