Vagaband partners with WYSE Travel Confederation on global study of youth travel market

For immediate release

Amsterdam, 17 October 2017

VAGABAND PARTNERS WITH WYSE TRAVEL CONFEDERATION ON GLOBAL STUDY OF YOUTH TRAVEL MARKET

The World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation announces its partnership with Vagaband for the only recurring global study of youth and student travel, New Horizons. Vagaband will give its travel safety wristbands to twenty lucky winners of the survey’s prize draw.

Vagaband is a travel wristband for explorers, adventurers and world wanderers. Made in the UK, the wristband is a nearly indestructible medical ID bracelet offering travellers a tech-free way to keep life-saving information accessible at all times. The product was launched through a successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2015. Vagaband was recently named the 2017 Best Travel Safety Initiative by the Global Youth Travel Awards.

“Simple, yet smart safety products and services are important for any traveller,” said David Chapman, Director General of WYSE Travel Confederation. “Vagaband reminds us that basic travel safety doesn’t need to be high-tech.”

New Horizons is the only recurring global survey of the youth travel segment. The aim of the study is to provide a global overview of the youth and student travel market, which WYSE Travel Confederation and UNWTO have estimated to account for more than 280 million international arrivals in 2016.

Last conducted by WYSE Travel Confederation in 2012 and generating more than 34,000 responses from 137 countries, the New Horizons survey investigates:

• Who travels, where, why, and how
• How trips are planned and booked
• How much is spent and on what

The latest New Horizons survey includes new city rating questions whereby respondents are asked to rate the safety and other aspects of cities visited.

Travel agents, suppliers, and other tourism and educational travel stakeholders involved with travel products and services tailored to the youth and student market are invited to participate in the New Horizons project. The New Horizons survey will be open for responses until November 2017. Findings from the New Horizons survey will be published by WYSE Travel Confederation in 2018.

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For media enquiries:

WYSE Travel Confederation

Tel: +31 (0)20 421 2800

communications@wysetc.org

The World Youth, Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation is a global not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to promoting and developing opportunities for the youth, student and educational travel industry.

WYSE Travel Confederation is committed to understanding the ever-changing characteristics, motivations and needs of young travellers. By gathering, analysing and sharing important market intelligence with members, academics and government decision-makers, the unique fast-changing needs of the youth market is at the forefront of its activities as it seeks to accelerate the development of youth travel. WYSE Travel Confederation, a long-standing Affiliate Member of UNWTO, is the world’s most powerful network of youth and student travel professionals, connecting travel industry players with decision-makers and government officials.

Founded in 2006 and created from the merger of the Federation of International Youth Travel Organisations (FIYTO) and the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC), both formed after World War II to inspire young people through international travel and to help remove cultural barriers, WYSE Travel Confederation brings together 60 years of global youth and student travel expertise.

For more information about WYSE Travel Confederation, visit www.wysetc.org