Roberta King

FdA Tourism Management

Year 2
Research Methods and Project
Richard Saul

The Impact of Social

Networking on the
Youth Travel Market
The Report

Word count: 4000

1
 Contents

1.0 Introduction p3
1.1 Rationale p3
1.2 Objectives p4
1.3 Overview p4
1.4 Methodology p5
1.5 Acknowledgements p6

2.0 Literature Review p7

3.0 Primary Research Analysis p10

4.0 Conclusion p17

5.0 Bibliography p19

6.0 Appendix A: Interview Answers

7.0 Appendix B: Tables Displaying Results
8.0 Appendix C: Graphs Displaying Results
9.0 Appendix D: The ISTC Full Report
10.0 Appendix E: Questionnaires

2
1.0 Introduction

In 2003 the youth travel market accounted for 20-25 percent of total international

tourism activity (WTO, 2003). Since then it has evolved considerably, causing a rise

in expenditure of 40 per cent during a five year period, making it one of the fastest

growing sectors within the tourism industry (Page, 2009). Although there is much

intrigue surrounding the topic of youth culture, critics have failed to understand its

significance within the tourism industry, based on the misconception that young

travellers produce low levels of spending, and are difficult to cater for profitably

(Carr, 1998). However, Looker-Murphey and Pearce (1995 cited Wober, 2002) argue

that the youth travel market have the potential to be high spending customers with a

considerable amount of free time to travel, as the majority are single, studying and

have part-time jobs. Furthermore, as tourism is no longer a privilege of the rich,

concepts such as gap-year travel have become increasingly more popular amongst

young people, and is the reason why marketers specialising within this field have

grown progressively more sophisticated in understanding the needs and wants of their

customers.

1.1 Rationale

This report provides readers with a detailed analysis into the relatively novel concept

of the independent youth traveller. It seeks to identify whether advances in social

networking in particular, have had an effect on the motivations and destination

choices of young people, in order to understand how sites such as facebook and

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twitter will help to develop trends within the future. Further investigation into how

social networking has contributed towards raising levels of confidence amongst the

youth travel market has also been looked at in greater depth.

1.2 Objectives

Research within this report has been carried out in order to examine whether or not

there is a clear link between social networking and the motivations of the youth travel

market, indicating any changes in society that have contributed to the break through

of former stereotypes leading to the more experienced and courageous youth of today.

A report such as this focusing on a somewhat complex and almost neglected topic

could not only provide managers with a more effective marketing strategy in order to

reach out to this message-saturated sector, but it could also help to create unique

attractions and establish completely new destinations.

1.3 Overview

The report will begin with an in depth examination of existing studies available on the

youth travel market, paying particular attention to any previous knowledge that gives

an insight into the motivations of young tourists.

However, it should be noted that there are implications concerning the accessibility of

research on youth travel and a lack of a widely accepted definition of what actually

constitutes a young tourist. There is even less research surrounding the issue of social

networking and its link with the travel industry, as advances within this field have

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only become noticeable within the past three to five years.

Thus, the objective of the primary research analysis, which follows on from the

literature review, is to fill the gaps in previous research whilst applying a modern

approach to additional studies by concentrating predominantly on whether social

networking sites have been, or are used to plan the trips taken by young tourists. The

analysis within this report will be used in comparison to a study conducted by the

International Student Travel Confederation in 2003, to identify whether or not there

are any significant changes in either destination choice or reasons for travel of

younger people that have occurred within the past few years.

1.4 Methodology

This report has been comprised using a variety of primary and secondary research.

Secondary research methods include the study of journals, e-journals; annual reports,

WTO statistics, and books covering all aspects involving the development of the

youth travel market, in order to provide an accurate academic underpinning for the

primary research carried out within this report.

Primary research has been conducted using questionnaires handed out to over 30

young people aged between 15-26 within various parts of the UK. The sample used

will be a stratified random sample. Information comprised within the questionnaires

will include relevant aspects concerning the youth travel market, such as recent travel

behaviour and preferred destination choice, paying particular attention to the

influence of social networking sites on young people. Quantitative methods of

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information gathering are used, allowing the author to categorise answers within the

questionnaire, which can then be expressed numerically in order to make light of any

patterns that appear within the research. Questionnaires can be less expensive than

other forms of data collection and often result in more honest responses that can be

phrased differently for different respondents in order to eliminate bias.

Youth and student travel companies such as Real Gap Travel have been contacted and

asked to participate in a short interview, consisting of qualitative research methods

that include open-ended questions based around the concept of social networking and

its influence on future trends, as well as the increasing levels of confidence amongst

young travellers. The use of open as well as closed ended questions will help to avoid

leading information that may result in bias.

Although great care will be taken to ensure the most accurate results possible, there

are likely to be implications concerning the reliability of the data collected. This is

mainly due to the size of the sample, which is not an accurate representation of the

population within the UK, as questionnaires are limited to areas such as Dorset and

London.

1.5 Acknowledgements

A special thank you to Catherine Luff (Social Media and Copy writing Co-ordinator

of Real Gap Travel and i-i.com) and Kevin Wetherall (Senior Travel Advisor of Real

Gap Travel) for providing information into topics relevant within this study, as well

as those who took the time to participate by filling out questionnaires.

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2.0 Literature Review

There is reason to believe that youth travel has been greatly influenced by

improvements in technology, and are central to the global leisure market, termed as

the ‘new media’ Nolan ad Feixa, (2009). The modern young traveller has a high level

of computer literacy and is able to access travel sites such as Tripadvisor with great

ease. According to Alljeric and Doorne, (2000 cited Novelli, 2005) web based

companies and service providers are creating more sophisticated youth products,

combining aspects such as accommodation opportunities with communications and

job services, and calling themselves ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’ in order to create closer

relationships with their customers by building careers based on their own travel

experiences. However, there is almost no existing research on how the Internet has

had an effect on young travellers as it is a relatively new concept, yet there is an

adequate amount of investigation into the characteristics and attributes of the youth

travel market.

For example a study conducted by Sellars (1998) between the 1980s and 1990s

focused on the transition of young people taking holidays in order to pursue their

interest in music, and was thought to be the result of a rise in recreational drug use

and shift in taste towards dance and alternative music subcultures.

Horner and Swarbrooke, (2005) continued on from this research and looked at the

connection between the global music industry and the desire for young people to

travel independently to destinations such as Ibiza, hosting large music venues and

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festivals. This particular movement has been the cause of great interest within holiday

companies, and led to the development of brands such as Club 18-30 and Ministry of

Sound Holidays, specialised in catering for this ever-profitable niche segment.

However, the youth travel market has begun to move away from the ‘traditional beach

oriented-experiences’ and seek out more challenging and remote destinations

(Novelli, 2005). According to Holloway (2006) there are two recognised groups of

young independent travellers. The first group preferring the sun, sea and sand holiday,

yet engage in a great number of sporting activities and evening entertainment. The

second have been classified as adventurous explorer types who visit more unusual

destinations such as Cambodia and Northern Thailand, and tend to indulge fully in the

local culture, regardless of any language barriers.

According to Horner and Swarbrooke (2006) the young traveller is unlikely to visit

the same place twice regardless of how satisfied they were with the previous trip. Due

to findings such as these, youth travel has been closely linked with the term

‘backpacker’ an expression that emerged during the 1970s to describe those in search

of an alternative to the more customary form of mass tourism (Douglas et al. 2001).

Backpackers are often stereotyped as young, with a preference for informal holiday

activities and budget accommodation, and whose length of stay within a destination is

considerably longer than that of most tourists, despite their average daily expenditure

being relatively low (Hall, 2003). A study conducted by Murphy, (1997) on the

motivations of backpackers showed similar results to the motivations of respondents

surveyed in the ISTC study of youth and student travel (2003), in the sense that both

held novelty seeking and improving their knowledge as high priorities. Alike the

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youth travel market, the growth in backpackers has led to a more specialist approach

to tourist products, and according to Hall (2003) could even cause a decline in

international style 4-star and 5-star hotels and resorts.

Although budget is limited in areas such as accommodation and general spend within

a destination, young people contribute a lot of time and money into planning long

haul trips, and expect them to meet certain requirements (Joseph, 2006). A pleasure

travel survey carried out between 1996 and 1998 stated that 50% of young travellers

felt that getting the best deal for their money was of great importance (Wober, 2002).

Due to the relatively low budget, it has become more custom for young people to look

for work whilst away as a means of financing continued travel. Additionally, Coles

and Hall, (2008) state that the youth of today are in search of the ‘total life

experience’ and often combine travel with skills that may contribute to their C.V and

benefit them in later life. An example of this may be taking courses in order to teach

English abroad, as according to Richard Oliver, Chief Executive of Year Out Group

(2008), independent travel alone looks rather blank on a resume, and having a good

understanding of the world is not enough in today’s commercial environment.

Young modern tourists are generally more educated than their predecessors and a

great number are presently, or have in the past been students (Novelli, 2005). During

1996 and 1998, 92% of young UK travellers had attained some form of university

degree. Due to this factor the younger population are more likely to seek out travel

experiences that enable them to accumulate knowledge whilst learning from their

surroundings. This has therefore led to the growth in the appeal of sites that contain

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aspects such as dark-tourism, the macabre, and the deeply depressing (Holloway,

2006). There is also evidence to suggest that travel can further help to enhance

educational performance and those looking to improve their chances of being

accepted onto higher education courses through travel have been labelled as

‘experience seekers’ (Smith, 2002 cited Holmes and Smith, 2009).

The ever-changing nature of youth travel will call for new and innovative ways of

targeting specific niches within this segment, such as adventure, music and volunteer

tourism. Marketers specialising in this sector may find it profitable to incorporate

learning skills as well as work experience into long-haul trips in order to make their

travel packages more desirable to young tourists (Holmes and Smith, 2009).

Advances in technology are also having a significant impact on the accessibility of

travel information, and it is important to keep up with the changes within this field in

order to be at an advantage over competitors.

3.0 Primary Research Analysis

The primary research results within this report have been analysed in comparison to

the first global study of student and youth travel conducted by ISTC and ATLAS and

launched in 2003. The multinational survey entitled ‘Today’s Youth Travellers:

Tomorrows Global Nomads’, will allow the author to identify and explain any

similarities and differences that may be of significance to the hypothesis in context.

However, it should be noted that this particular study concentrated on the youth travel

market was at a global level whereas the findings within this research are based only

on those within the UK.

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Question 15 examines the gender of respondents. As shown in figure 1 the majority

were mainly female (71%) where as males accounted for only 29% of the total. This

suggests that there Figure

may have been a

28%

bias as the surveyor

Male
is female, and was Female

perhaps more 72%

comfortable asking

subjects of the same gender. However, a high percentage of respondents asked in the

ISTC survey conducted in 2003 were female (67%) with only 33% of the total being

male. This is a particularly interesting factor as it is often assumed that travellers are

more likely to be male, although according to Richard’s and Wilson (2003) recent

surveys have shown an ever-increasing number of female tourists.

Q17 studies the occupation of participants and shows a strong predominance of

students (53.1%), which could be due to the age range of respondents being mainly

19-22 year olds (56.3%) and therefore are more likely to be in full time education.

whereas those who were aged between 23-26 were generally in employment. Only

6% of respondents were aged 15-18.

Q1 displays the destination last travelled to by participants. The most popular choice

was Europe (53.1%) whereas the least popular choices were Central America (0%)
Question 1 Last Trip Taken

and Australia (0%) 9

with no one having 7

6
MALE 15-18
5 MALE 19-22
MALE 23-26
4
FEMALE 15-18
3 FEMALE 19-22
FEMALE 23-26
2
11
1

0
Africa Central North South Asia Europe Australia Round the
America America America world trip
travelled to either of these destinations. However, male respondents had mostly

travelled to either Europe (33.3%) or Asia (33.3%). A large proportion of 23-26 year

olds had travelled to Africa compared with 0% of both 15-18 and 19-22 year olds.

These findings suggest that as respondents grow older they become more likely to

seek out remote destinations that are perhaps more challenging. Similarly to this

study, the majority of respondents asked in the ISTC survey had travelled to Europe

previously (54%). However, strong differences were shown in the destination choice

of males and females, unlike this particular survey where there were no noticeable

variations. Interestingly, participants who had travelled to countries further a field had

travelled independently, unlike Europe where most respondents had travelled with

their partners (38.9%).

The majority of respondents surveyed within the questionnaire had been travelling for

an approximated 1-4 weeks (46.9%) and were most likely to have visited Europe.

According to research gathered within the ISTC survey (2003) the average length of

stay amongst young tourists was 63.5 days. Those within this study who had ventured

further across the globe to destinations such as Asia or Africa, tended to stay for a

period of 1-2 months (28.6%), which could be due to the expenses involved in

planning trips such as these. In comparison, for the length of planned trip (Question

11) the majority of respondents were hoping to travel for an estimated 1-2 months

(31.3%), a considerable amount longer than the last trip taken, which is most likely to

be due to a the change in destination choice.

Question 6 Booking Method Used

Question 6 examines
13% 13%

the booking methods

Travel agent
Internet
Other

12
74%
used by respondents, the majority of which being the Internet (75%), with only 12.5%

choosing to use a travel agent, extremely similar to the ATLAS survey whereby the

Internet was used by 71% of respondents. According to Chadee and Cutler (1996

cited ISTC 2003) this could have a negative affect on student and youth dedicated

travel agencies as competition from other information channels, such as social

networking sites becomes fierce. However, Catherine Luff (personal relations, April

2010) states that although the Internet is arguably becoming the most popular choice

of booking method amongst not only the youth travel market but the older generation

as well, people still need that tangible experience, and for say a 17 year old travelling

alone for the first time, the reassurance offered by a travel advisor when planning

their trip is a welcome factor. Furthermore, travel groups such as Real Gap Travel,

now have the ability to promote their product through social networking sites such as

Facebook, whilst interacting with their customers on a personal level via forums

accessed on the site (Luff, personal relations, Aprial 2010).

The most popular sites used when planning the previous trip taken was Tripadvisor

(14.7%) and facebook (14.7%), with 0% of respondents choosing either Twitter or

msn as a way of gathering information. The reason for this may be due to the fact that

Tripadvisor is predominantly travel-based and offers helpful advice on destination

planning. Whereas facebook is becoming progressively more advanced at marketing

various travel companies, for example Real Gap Travel, who have a page linked to

the site. Twitter and msn tend to be more communication based, which is why they

were least likely to be used.

Question 9 Where Are You Planning To Travel In The Future? By Age and Gender

There was a strong 7

5 FEMALE 23-26
FEMALE 19-22
4 FEMALE 15-18
MALE 23-26
3 MALE 19-22

13
MALE 15-18
2

0
Africa Central North South Asia Europe Australia Round the
America America America world trip
difference in destination choice for previous trip taken and planned future visit.

Results show that the most popular destination for the next planned trip is Asia with

25% of the total, closely followed by Europe (21.9%). As pointed out by the ISTC

survey (2003) this could be due to the fact that as travel experience increases people

build up the confidence to venture further a field. Moreover, Luff (personal relations,

April 2010) states that Thailand is the most popular destination for young travellers to

visit and according to the ISTC survey, travel companies catering for the youth

market are continuously finding new and innovative ways of responding to the needs

and wants of these more experienced tourists at various stages in their travel careers,

which would suggest why the South East Asia package offered by Real Gap Travel

has become incredibly successful.

It is also assumed that the increase in use of social-networking sites has a major role

to play in confidence levels of younger travellers, and therefore destination choice, as

they are now able to communicate with loved ones at various points around the globe

with a greater level of ease. In addition to this factor, Luff (personal relations, April

2010) states that younger people now have the ability to communicate with other

travellers before they are due to leave, allowing them to feel an increased sense of

security. However, it must be noted that the respondents’ country of residence was the

UK, and it is more likely that this would have had an influence over their decision due

to the cost and distance factors.

Question 8 examines Question 8 Sites Used Whilst Travelling By Country

the sites used by 7

young tourists whilst 5 Facebook

Twitter
4 Blogger
msn
Tripadvisor
3
Skype
None
2

1
14
0
Africa Central North America South America Asia Europe Australia Round the
America world trip
travelling, as according to the ISTC study (2003) a considerable number chose to stay

in contact with friends and relatives whilst away, supporting the idea that travel is

‘becoming integrated into the connected lifestyles of young people around the globe’.

Results taken from the ISTC survey showed that email was the main communication

channel used amongst respondents. However, advances in technology have led to a

higher usage of social networking sites, and it has become apparent within this study

that young people were most likely to use facebook (51.9%) and msn (20.9%) whilst

away.

Q4 examines the reasons for travel by respondents. The most important being

relaxation, constituting 25.4% of the total, followed by socialising (12.5%), whereas

the lowest number of respondents were travelling for educational purposes (2.8%) and

to volunteer (2.8%). Similarly to these results, participants surveyed in the ISTC study

(2003) were also unlikely to become ‘actively’ involved in the local communities of

the destinations visited, and instead they were travelling more to gain an

understanding of other cultures.

15-18 year olds represented within this study were most likely to have travelled in

order to socialise (50%) and for music and clubbing (50%). However, there appears to

be a potential bias as this particular age group only accounted for 6.3% of total

respondents, and it is probable that this would have affected the results.

As respondents increased in age so did their preference to explore other cultures, and

results displayed in Q12 show that reasons such as these became even more important

when planning the next trip.

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Question 13 explores the issue of whether of not social networking sites had

influenced the respondents’ choice of trip. According to the results, 81.4% of young

people surveyed Question 13 Sites That Influenced Choice Of Trip By Age And Gender

25

had been affected

20

by one of the sites 15

FEMALE 23-26
FEMALE 19-22
FEMALE 15-18
MALE 23-26

stated within the 10 MALE 19-22

MALE 15-18

questionnaire. The
0
Facebook Twitter Blogger msn Tripadvisor Skype none
most influential

being facebook, accounting for 40% of the total, however none of the respondents felt

they had been influenced by skype. Another noticeable factor was that the older the

age group the more likely they were to have been subjected to sites such as blogger,

and could be because it has failed to target the younger market successfully.

Question 14 examines how sites such as these may have influenced travel decisions.

Results show a clear link between photographs (53.3%) and recommendations (35%)

posted on the sites. Those using msn were most likely to be affected by blogs,

whereas those using facebook found photographs more influential (63.3%).

Conclusion

It is evident that there have been clear changes in youth travel over recent years and

could be due to a number of factors, for example the rise in low cost airlines making

travel more accessible and cost effective. Advances in infrastructure and

improvements of political issues at various destinations are likely to have raised

16
confidence levels amongst the youth travel market, allowing them to venture further

across the globe. Nevertheless, there has been a definite break through in former

stereotypes resulting in the independent young tourist, and not only are they travelling

further, but results show that the duration of trips taken by young tourists are often for

a relatively lengthy amount of time, which contributes to the idea that average daily

spend amongst this particular market segment is increasingly more significant than

has been considered within the past. Factors such as this call for new and innovative

ways of targeting the changing needs of the youth travel market, and it must not be

forgotten that it is the young tourists of today that provide a base for the travel

decisions of future generations and are often the trendsetters responsible for the

establishment of popular tourist destinations (Richards and Wilson, 2004).

Social networking, although a relatively new concept, is likely to become the future of

youth travel, as results within this study show that an increasing number of young

tourists are using, and being influenced by social networking sites. This could be due

to the fact that young people are highly motivated by their peer groups and are

constantly trying to imitate the lifestyles of those closest to them (Holloway, 2006).

Social networking sites such as facebook provide the key to a whole knew form of

communication, where young people are able to know instantly what their fellow

peers have been getting up to. The influence this plays on the travel decisions of the

young tourist is immense, and companies specialising in this field are latching on to

the new way of marketing available through social networking sites. Travel

companies such as Real Gap Travel are now able to communicate with their

customers on a personal level, increasing their capability of manipulating certain

aspects within this market (Luff, personal relations April, 2010).

17
5.0 Bibliography

Dorret, R, Douglas, N, Douglas, N., 2001. Special Interest Tourism. Milton: John
Wiley and Sons Education Ltd.

Hall, C., 2003. Introduction to Tourism, Dimensions and Issues. 4th Ed. Frechs Forest:
Pearson Education Australia pty Limited.

Holloway, C with Taylor, N., 2006. The Business of Tourism. 7th Ed. Essex: Pearson
Education Limited.

Feixa, C and Nolan, P., 2009. Global Youth? Hybrid Identities, Plural Worlds. Oxon:
Routledge

Novelli, M, Richards, G, Wilson, J., 2005. Niche Tourism, Contemporary Issues,

Trends and Cases. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

Horner, S and Swarbrooke, (initial?)., 2005. Leisure Marketing a Global Perspective.

Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Coles, T and Hall, M., 2008. International and Business Tourism, Global Issues,
Contemporary Interactions. Oxon: Routledge.

Joseph, C., 2006. Advances in Hospitality and Leisure. 2nd Ed. London: Elsevier ltd.

Wober, K., 2002. City Tourism 2002: Proceedings of European Cities Tourisms
Internal. New York: Springer Wein.

Holmes, K and Smith, K., 2009. Managing Volunteers in Tourism, Attractions,

Destinations, and Events. Oxford: Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Page, S., 2009. Tourism Management, Managing for Change. 3rd Ed. Oxford:
Butterworth-Heinemann.

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Lyons, K and Wearing, S., 2008. Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism.
Oxfordshire: CABI International.

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Appendix A: Interview Answers

Kevin Wetherall, Senior Travel Advisor of Real Gap Travel (April 6th 2010)

Do you think that the youth travel market has been influenced by social
networking sites in the past 10-15 years, and in what way?

Most definitely, mainly by photos that they’ve seen on the sites, put up by their
friends, but also from the statuses that they write. Facebook is the most popular. Real
Gap Travel has its own page on facebook. They’ve created a ‘buddy list’ whereby
young travellers are able to email their addresses to each other before they go away.

Catherine Luff Social Media and Copy Writing Co-ordinator of Real Gap
Travel and www.i-to-i.com (April 6th 2010)

How do you think social networking will help to develop trends in the future?

Through communication sharing. Young people of today are able to communicate on

a level far greater than ever before, 100 times more in fact. People know about
something the second you’ve done it. There’s so much exposure. As a travel
company, we are able to get our brand name out there and interact with our customers
on a personal level. Travel companies find out first hand what trends are likely to
develop through interacting with customers. The future of youth travel is social
networking. Being able to go into a forum and find out what your customers think
about you is amazing for marketing.

In what way does social networking influence destination choice amongst youth
travel?

If there is a buzz about a destination, young people are able to go into a forum and
activate loads of videos and blogs about, say, Thailand or South Africa. Once they
have come back off a trip they want to talk about it and they do so through social
networking sites. We get a lot of repeat bookings from this but also others that are

20
influenced by the things that people have said about our packages.

What would you say in the most popular destination choice amongst youth
travellers?

Thailand definitely. Our Thailand package is very popular.

What is the effect of social networking upon levels of confidence and feelings of
security in travel decision-making?

Young people would have never of had the confidence to travel to the more remote
countries unless they had the advice and the travel community that they have now.
The fact that they can communicate with other travellers before they set off helps to
increase levels of confidence. They are able to join a buddy list, where they can
exchange email addresses with other gap year travellers who are about to go on the
same trip as themselves.

When did social networking start having such a big influence on the youth travel
market?

Only about 2 or 3 years ago. Teenagers these days are never not on the Internet.

What age group would you say is most influenced by social networking sites?

I would say mainly those who are about 18-25, but it’s usually the younger part of
that group who use the Internet more frequently. Older people are not as active online,
and I suppose its because they missed out on the computer generation.

Do you think social networking and the Internet is the future of the travel
industry, or are younger people still likely to use travel agents?

People thought it was going to be all social media for the younger-market because
social media is so popular, but some people need the tangible experience. Say for

21
instance 17 year olds who are really scared about going online and need reassurance
from a travel advisor. However, Real Gap Travel does have an emergency support
hotline.

Janet Forward, Senior Travel Consultant, Baldwins (April 5th 2010)

Do you think that the youth travel market has been influenced by social
networking sites in the past 10-15 years, and in what way?

For about 6-7 years Bladwins has been very big on gap-year travel, but nobody ever
says that their decisions to travel have ever been influenced by social networking sites
like facebook. In fact I don’t think they have any influence over our customers at all,
it is mainly the parents who are encouraging their kids to travel.

What is the most popular destination choice for the youth travel market?

South America or Australia. More people are starting to get involved in volunteer
programmes now as well.

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Appendix B: Tables Displaying Results

23
Appendix C: Graphs Displaying Results

24
Appendix D: The ISTC Full Report

25
Appendix E: Questionnaires

26