Destination Canada’s President David Goldstein has recently spoken out about his concern regarding the growing trend of Canadian millennials travelling overseas rather than exploring and experiencing their own country.
Domestic youth travel provides a vital source of income for the Canadian visitor economy and with outbound travel currently surpassing international inbound tourism arrivals, it is having a serious effect on Canada’s tourism industry.
However, Canada is not alone – WYSE Travel Confederation is hearing from many of its Official Tourism Organisation stakeholders that they like Canada, are experiencing the same outbound trend and are having difficulty encouraging domestic travel amongst their own millennial citizens.
Within the WYSE community we of course welcome globalization, but also recognize that it is a double-edged sword for destinations. Improved visa schemes, reduced cost of travel and a growing desire for young people to explore the world, may mean a deficit on the domestic side, but it also provides great opportunity to further develop the international inbound youth travel market.
Leveraging a strong brand, a highly successful work abroad scheme and an array of cultural, social and natural attributes that appeal to millennials, Canada is well positioned to increase international arrivals. Perhaps a tactic that could compensate for the domestic loss?
WYSE Travel Confederation looks forward to welcoming the Canadian delegation to WYSTC in Belgrade, Serbia 20-23 September and extending its support to Destination Canada and its industry to help grow both their domestic and inbound youth markets.
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