Social and economic impact

• Youth are a positive force in society and have enormous potential for contributing to the development and advancement of societies; 
• Youth, student and educational travel provides a strong vehicle to foster cultural understanding, social interaction and peace;
• Young people can be a major force for social and economic development in the destinations they visit;
• The impact of youth travel in developing countries is particularly important, given the propensity of many young travellers to engage in volunteering programmes and development projects;
• The youth travel market demonstrates relative resilience in times of political and civil unrest, disease or natural disasters;

For young individuals travel is:

• a form of learning
• a way of socialising
• a form of discovering other cultures
• a means of self-development
• a source of career development