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WYSE Travel Confederation
WYSE Travel Confederation’s top 10 news articles of 2020
WYSE News | December 22, 2020

2020 was, to say the least, an unprecedented year. We saw readers flocking to articles ranging from the COVID-19 Travel Business Impact Survey results to BUNAC securing investment following the fall of STA Travel. Here are our top 10 most read articles of the year.

1. Business outlook by youth travel sector – March 2020
Findings from WYSE Travel Confederation’s COVID-19 Travel Business Impact survey showed a mixed picture across various sectors when it comes to the outlook for 2020. Some experiential travel programmes, such as camp programmes, educational travel, language travel, volunteer travel and work experience travel were more optimistic about the rest of 2020. Read more.

2. WYSE Travel Confederation calls on governments to support youth, student and educational travel organisations – May 2020
It has always been important for governments to support travel and tourism. In the face of a global crisis of proportions never fathomed by any of us, WYSE Travel Confederation called on governments to take actions to support the youth travel sector with our 10-Point Youth Travel Recovery Plan. Read more.

 

 

3. Looking back in order to see ahead – March 2020
In the third article reporting results from our COVID-19 Travel Business Impact Survey, we looked back at what WYSE Travel Confederation learned from the global economic crisis of 2008 – 2010. How did the sectors of youth travel fare during that global economic crisis? What actions did businesses take in response to the crisis? Read more.

4. Youth travel anticipating decrease in business for 2020 – March 2020
WYSE Travel Confederation’s COVID-19 Business Travel Impact Survey indicates that in March, travel businesses anticipated a 30% drop in business for the year. Based on this, the estimated decline in receipts for the youth travel industry could equate to 87 billion euros in 2020. Read more.

5. BUNAC secures investment from youth travel specialist – October 2020
In October, BUNAC Travel Services, a global work and travel company, announced that it had been acquired by David Andrews, Lioncourt Investments, who invested new capital to support BUNAC’s growth ambitions. Read more.

 

 

6. Reactions to the J-1 Visa suspension by members of the youth travel industry– June 2020
Following the Presidential Proclamation on Immigration on 22 June 2020, the issuance of the J-1 Visa was suspended until the end of the year. WYSE Travel Confederation spoke to members of the cultural exchange sector to understand how the Proclamation would affect sponsors, agents and young travellers. Read more.

7. Outlook worsens and financial aid is not the only investment governments should make to help travel and tourism – May 2020
For the second quarter of this year, the average expected change in demand relative to the same period last year was -76%. For 2020 as a whole, respondents of WYSE Travel Confederation’s May Travel Business Impact Survey expected to see a 70% decrease in demand. We take a look at the actions that respondents wanted to see governments taking to address the crisis. Read more.

 

 

8. June a small turning point for the industry, but hopes are mostly set on 2021 – June 2020
A slightly more optimistic view from travel and tourism companies operating in the youth market was detected in June after three months of increasingly negative outlooks. Most businesses, however, did not see economic recovery beginning until 2021. Read more.

9. COVID-19 impacts on the hostel performance – May 2020
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc upon the travel industry, and the hostel sector is no exception. STR gave an update on hostel performance as the effects of the WHO pandemic classification, abrupt halt of travel, and in many markets lockdown orders that temporarily closed hostel doors became apparent. Read more.

10. YHA Australia’s Robert Henke retires after 42 years in the industry – August
After more than 18 years with YHA Australia as Operations Manager, in August Robert Henke decided to retire and finally hang up his backpack. Robert started his career with Hostelling International in his native Amsterdam, before being snapped up by YHA Australia in 2002 following his relocation. Read more.