CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA

ECONOMICS

ECN 411: TOURISM AND RECREATIONAL ECONOMICS

GROUP MEMBERS

1. EMESA FRED MWANYIKA 1032216

2. MARK OYOO 1032292
3. KAMAU .E. KINYUA 1031879

QUESTION: WHAT IS NOT CATERED FOR THE YOUTH IN THE TOURISM MARKET?
WHAT ARE THE INTERESTS OF YOUTH IN TOURISM, WHAT IS LACKING AND
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

1|Page
1. Youth tourism is a form of tourism that includes independent travelers between the ages of 15
to 29 years old who travel to other places for periods of less than one year. Youth tourism market
is regarded as the one of the most important tourism markets since youth travelers are in the first
phase of their travel career that may potentially affect their future travel behavior (Eusébio &
Carneiro, 2015). Youth travel is an important part of global tourism, consequently, getting to
know the evolution of this form of tourism requires an approach of the aspects regarding the
permissive and restrictive factors that influence the youth travel dynamic worldwide.

Youth tourism briefly is young travelers preferring budget accommodation, emphasis on meeting
other travelers, independently organized, flexible travel schedule and longer rather than brief
holidays. Although youth tourism market has considerable potential to boost travel and tourism
demand, less attention is given to this tourism segment, they include:

Inexistent of facilities: youth tourists have not been able to access some facilities i.e. transport
facilities, network and communication. Transport is a major factor in tourism and youth should
be considered when offering facilities such as visa, which will enable the travel internationally.
Information is key when it comes to choosing of proper destination and prices of tourist
facilities. With proper information, the youth tourists can easily access more affordable and
reliable destinations.

The incomes of young people are the main requirement for tourism demand, an increase of
revenues leading to an increase in tourism expenditure. Because young people are influenced in
practicing tourism by their limited finances. The level of their income is not only reflected in the
level of participation, but also in the level and structure of the requested tourism services, the
duration of their stay, the travelled distance, the frequency of travels, the organized or particular
feature of the holiday, travelling within or outside the borders, the option for a particular mode of
transport.

Lack of offers specific for youth, which forces them to go back to standard products, destined for
families and adults; the youth population is not eligible to some of the offers that are offered to
the other segment of the tourism market thus hinders them to access the facilities.

Safety of the youth tourism, According to a study, the youth is less sensitive to risks than other
tourists are. Thus, an insignificant proportion of young people cancel their trip due to terrorism,

2|Page
criminal acts, political turmoil, natural disasters, epidemics or other problems. Thus, the
perceived levels of crime rate have caused a feeling of anxiety rather than a change of travel
plans.

High price of tourism- charging high prices limits the access of young people to tourism services,
and is mainly reflected in the low number of tourists. Since most of the youth are low-income
earners, they can barely afford the prices of services provided by tourists. Charging high prices
limits the access of young people to tourism services and is mainly reflected in the low number
of young tourists, in the short stays, in the travel distances, among others.

In addition, there are categories of young people who cannot practice tourism for various reasons
such as:

a) Young people who are looking for a job or are starting a family, and who invest in
tourism after this stage
b) Young people living in the rural or semi-rural area and who cumulate the advantages of
living in the country (nature) with its disadvantages
c) Young people coming from low-income families (single-parent families, farmers,
unemployed, etc.)

2. The interest of Youth in tourism is for several purposes such as education and cultural tourism
(Du Cros & Jingya, 2013; Boukas, 2013):

In educational tourism, it offers scholarship abroad, trips, summer schools, camps nationally and
internationally. It also includes interest in volunteering programs, which offers young people the
opportunity to know other countries and cultures.

Young tourists also engage in work and travel programs where they experience new cultural
environment, establish new contacts with people around the world and visiting new places and
earn some money. Through this, the young people develop their personality, gives them an
opportunity to discover new jobs, different cultures and ways of life.

3|Page
They also have interests in getting opportunities to increase my knowledge, Visiting building and
places of historical archaeological importance, have fun, Experience new and different lifestyle,
Visiting friends and relatives, Have daring or adventuresome experience, resting and relaxing.

3.

The following face youth tourism:

Lack of adequate services e.g. travelling facilities, accommodation and food; this can be reduced
by increasing the number of suppliers of specific products for the young people and students who
travel.

Lack of finances to finance their bills and expenses when touring, this can be sorted by growing
tendency of young travelers to work or study during their travel in order to finance themselves.

Lack of time due to employment, there is need for time thus making it difficult for the youth
tourism. Signing employment contracts for short periods, leading to some rather obvious
vacancies regarding employment will help

Expensive travelling tickets which is a barrier to those who cannot afford the service. Thus
cheapening travel tickets will enable more access to the service.

Reduced number of tourist guides available for the youth, the sector can increase the number of
tourist guides, such as Rough Guide and Lonely Planet, covering a growing number of
destinations outside the usual routes, including the ones visited by young people and students.

4|Page
There is need for giving tourism loans to young people: because the availability of loans to
youths will create easy access to borrowed money, which they may invest into travelling.
Countries or governments need to offer more visas to young people: countries and worldwide
bureaucracy need to become more welcoming of foreigners. Therefore, young travelers will able
to obtain visas easily to travel to foreign countries. Lastly, there is need for cheapening travel
tickets for young tourists, increasing the distance covered by buses reserved for young tourists,
signing employment contracts for short periods. This will lead to some rather obvious vacancies
regarding employment for the young people to generate some income, which they will use for
tourism. Knowing the factors that condition the evolution of this form of tourism on the market
and the influence exerted by them is significantly important for the development of youth travel,
both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, youth travel is a profitable and expanding
market; it should be better supported by the public sector, as well as the private sector. In
conclusion, it appears that, regardless of the influence of certain factors. Youth travel is a sector
of the tourism industry that is growing much faster than the tourism market in general.

5|Page
 Research and resources.

1. Moisa, Claudia. (2010). FACTORS INFLUENCING THE EVOLUTION OF YOUTH

TRAVEL. Management & Marketing. VIII.
2. Yvette Reisinger, (2001), “Determinants of Youth Travel Markets’ Perceptions of
Tourism Destinations”, Highlights of the 32nd Annual Travel and Tourism Research
Association Conference, Fort Myers, Florida.
3. Witt, St. F, Brooke, M. Z., Buckley, P.J. (1991), The Management of International
Tourism, London: Unwin Hyman Ltd.
4. World Tourism Organization (2008), Youth Travel Matters – Understanding the Global
Phenomenon of Youth Travel, Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

6|Page