Bali, Vietnam and Sri Lanka are among the fastest growing youth travel destinations for 2019, a new trends report by STA Travel has found.
The youth travel specialist agency says Bali is now the fourth most popular destination for its customers – up from 18th place in 2008 – while Vietnam has risen every year since 2013 and now takes the sixth spot on its bestsellers list.
Sri Lanka, Kenya, Japan, the Philippines and Colombia are meanwhile indicated as key growth areas for 2019, jumping 45%, 33%, 29%, 27% and 25% respectively.
The findings come from the report Youth Travel: Past, Present and Future, which charts the development of travel since STA’s inauguration in 1979.
Australia is still the top choice in terms of most popular flight destination, followed closely by Thailand.
South Africa, however, has been falling since 2008, no longer featuring in its top 10 bestsellers, while China has also seen a decrease in bookings among the market.
The US is also falling in popularity. While it’s still the third most popular choice among the market, bookings to the country were down 23% year-on-year in January, according to the report, which STA put down to the ‘Trump effect’.
For those that are travelling to the States, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando and Boston were the most popular flight destinations for STA.
The report also found that “meaningful experiences” were the buzzwords of the moment, with ‘voluntourism’ and animal welfare projects witnessing significant growth.
Wellbeing was also highlighted as a key area. The survey found 73% of respondents said this was the cause they felt most passionate about, followed by human rights, climate change, animal welfare and gender equality.
“This report demonstrates how our customers travel for a variety of reasons, from opening their eyes to other cultures, building self-confidence, mental wellbeing and general life experience,” said Tim Fryer, country manager at STA Travel. “The hedonistic approach of travel from 20 years ago is less important now.
“The other big keyword for this generation is culture – whether that’s through food, language or beliefs – it’s all about getting off the beaten track to really understand the essence of a place.”
The findings showed that round-the-world tickets and gap years remained popular, with Australia and New Zealand still the biggest destinations for the latter. Broadened horizons, cultural awareness, gaining independence and meeting new people were all cited among the key reasons for taking a year out.
