Youth Travel Research Articles

Talent Management Framework in China Youth Travel Agency

In the context of China’s rapidly changing market and evolving workforce demographics, talent management has become a key factor in organizational success, particularly within service-oriented industries like the China Youth Travel Agency (CYTA). This study aims to explore the role of a structured talent management framework in driving employee motivation at CYTA, focusing on four dimensions: Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Talent Deployment, and Talent Retention. Utilizing a quantitative research design, data was collected from 287 CYTA employees through a structured survey and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) path analysis. The findings reveal that each dimension of talent management significantly enhances employee motivation, with Talent Development showing the strongest impact. This research contributes to the literature by demonstrating the importance of an integrated talent management approach in fostering a motivated and committed workforce, essential for sustaining CYTA’s competitive edge and adapting to the dynamic demands of the travel industry.

Moderating effect of contextual factors on the relationship between travel motivation and destination loyalty among domestic tourists in the Coast region of Kenya

Despite the marginal growth recorded in the tourism sector in Kenya, the domestic visits and estimates fall far below the expectations. The study was guided by the following specific objective; to assess the moderating effect of contextual factors on the relationship between travel motivation and destination loyalty among domestic tourists in the Coast Region of Kenya. The study area comprised frequented attractions in the Coast region of Kenya. The study adopted an embedded mixed approach comprising descriptive survey and explanatory research designs. Simple random sampling and purposive techniques were adopted for domestic tourists, destination managers and experts respectively. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Four hundred (400) questionnaires were distributed while 10 destination managers and 5 experts were interviewed. Data analysis was done using multiple regression models, hierarchical multiple regression and descriptive analysis. The multiple regression model results without interaction terms indicated that R-square = 0.442, implying that destination attributes and socio-psychological factors explain 44.2% of destination loyalty. The hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that contextual factors have a moderating effect on interaction between travel motivation and destination loyalty since the model was significant {R2 = 0.255, F (7, 371) = 12.12, p =0.0001}. The model accounted for 25.5% of variation on destination loyalty. This means that the composite elements of contextual factors namely; political, economic, technological and socio-cultural factors significantly moderates the interaction between travel motivation and loyalty behaviour of domestic tourists. The null hypotheses were tested and rejected. The study recommends need for destinations and service providers to engage more on digital marketing and deploy technology during marketing initiatives and product development to capture niche segments since majority of the respondents were youth travelers

Social Media: Its Impact on Youth Travelers and Formation of Sustainable Destination Image

Social media is widely used, particularly in the travel industry. With the rapid changes in technology, there has been a substantial escalation in the usage of various social media networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. On these platforms, users are encouraged to make blog entries, upload images of their adventures, and exchange information about their activities and hobbies with other users. Various researchers have examined how social media has the potential to influence the trip-planning process significantly, and it has been concluded that social media has a noteworthy influence on travel decisions. The current study aims to investigate the influence of social media on the travel decisions that are being taken up by the young generation. The present research aims to investigate the influence of social media in the generation of images of various destinations in the minds of prospective travelers. To fathom the influence of social media in the minds of the young generation while they are making travel decisions, a conceptual framework has been developed in the current study with the help of the Technology Acceptance Model. To achieve the objective of inspecting the influence of social media in generating sustainable destination images in travelers’ minds, a sample size of 420 has been taken. Perceived Costs, Perceived Ease of Use, and Perceived Enjoyment have been used to evolve the conceptual model. The findings of the study will play a vital role for online travel marketers as it will provide them insights regarding the way the young generation makes use of social networking sites and how these sites are helpful in the creation of destination images in the minds of these travelers and allow them to modify their online marketing tactics accordingly.

Unaccounted for Pitch Volume Among Adolescent Baseball Pitchers During a Travel Baseball Season.

The primary aim was to compare differences in live game pitch counts (LGPCs) with all pitch counts (APCs) over the course of a youth baseball season. Prospective longitudinal study. Midwest youth travel baseball. Ten male baseball players part of a youth baseball travel team. Demographic data, pitch counts (practice, game, warm-up, and bullpen), innings pitched, and recommended rest days. Live pitch counts compared with APCs and the relationship to recommended rest days. During the season, 7866 pitches were recorded among 9 pitchers. By using the LGPC method alone, 42.5% of the pitches were unaccounted for. When considering age-specific rest days suggested by Pitch Smart Guidelines (PSGs), there were 104 rest days unaccounted for by using the live game pitch method. There is a high number of unaccounted for pitches and an underestimation of rest days per outing when using live game methods. Revisions to the PSGs that include all pitches should be considered to accurately reflect pitching volume, which may be associated with the rising rate of injuries among these athletes.

Tourist Preferences, the Use of Social Media, and Travel Behaviours among Youth in Malaysia

The tourism sector in Malaysia plays a significant role in driving economic development, with particular emphasis on the youth travel market. The influence of social media on young individuals' travel preferences and behaviours is of considerable importance. However, there still needs to be more understanding of the specific relationship between tourist preferences, social media use, and travel behaviour among youth in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the relationship using a quantitative research design. A cluster sampling technique was used to select a sample of youth in Malaysia. Data were collected through an online survey and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics Pearson Correlation. The study showed that social media significantly affects young travel behaviour, social media use, and tourist behaviour in Malaysia. The tourist preferences (min=4.352), use of social media (min = 4.005) and travel behaviour (min = 4.238). Pearson Correlation was used to determine the significant relationship between tourist preferences, the use of social media and travel behaviour. The results showed that travel behaviour was positively and significantly correlated with tourist preferences (r = 0.6282, p < 0.01) and the use of social media (r = 0.540, p < 0.01). These results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between tourist preferences, social media use, and travel behaviour among youth in Malaysia. The findings are also expected to interest tourism marketers and policymakers in developing strategies to attract and retain youth travellers.

Comparative Financial Analysis of Listed Tourism Companies in the Post-Epidemic Era

On December 7, 2022, the State Council grandly promotes 10 anti-epidemic policies, announcing the beginning of the full liberalization of China's 3-year epidemic. Since then the country has entered the post epidemic era, people have regained their freedom and started to come out of their homes, and the tourism industry is gradually recovering. From the perspective of financial management, this paper selects three tourism listed companies, namely, China Youth Travel Service (CYTS), which takes travel agency as its traditional core business, Huangshan Tourism Development Co., Ltd. which relies on tourist attractions as its main business, and Shanghai Jinjiang International Hotel Co., Ltd. which is a leading listed company in China's hotels and catering industry, to conduct a comparative analysis of their financial status in the past five years by using DuPont analysis and to reveal the main influencing factors of the changes in ROE, so as to provide a reference for the future development of the industry.

Creating informal European integration by travelling? Swedish and Finnish travel reminiscences of Interrail travel 1972–1993

ABSTRACT The Interrail rail ticket offer, created in 1972, established a new travel platform for young people to meet their peers in Europe. This article examines how Interrail youth travel enabled sociable transactions for Swedish and Finnish travellers and how this promoted informal European integration. The article is based on a qualitative analysis and comparison of 40 Finnish and Swedish Interrailers’ interviews about their trips between 1972 and 1993. The travellers recall the position of Sweden and Finland in relation to Europe as dualistic: being both outside and inside Europe. The Nordic countries in the 1970s and 80s were recalled as familiar and clearly distinct from Europe. Informal European integration was advanced; many travellers framed their Interrail trips as a positive, intrinsically European experience. Meeting new people among travellers and local residents was remembered as giving Europe faces and creating a sense of community. Thus, Interrail trips produced ‘lived Europeanness’. The findings also demonstrate that Swedish and Finnish travellers experienced the trip in a very similar fashion. However, the comparison served to reveal the regional differences in relation to the distance of the regions from continental Europe.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Decision to Visit Nusantara Youth Travel to Bali

Nusantara tourists constitute a pivotal aspect of Bali's tourism. The undeniable impact of the widespread COVID-19 cases has rendered Bali's tourism nearly lifeless. However, the resilient travel activities of Nusantara tourists, albeit in modest numbers, offer a glimmer of hope for Bali. The potential of Nusantara tourists, particularly among the younger generation, commonly referred to as youth travellers in tourism terminology, is substantial. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), youth travel involves individuals aged 16-29 engaging in tourism. Statistics reveal that the youth travel demographic commands 23% of global tourism. Based on the 2020 census by the Central Statistics Agency, the combined population of Generation X (millennials) and Generation Z (zillennials) holds the highest share in Indonesia. Hence, the potential of Nusantara youth travel for Bali is promising. Consequently, there is a need for research on the characteristics, movement distribution, and factors influencing the decisions of Nusantara youth travellers to tour Bali. This study will employ a mixed-methods approach, utilizing Likert scale analysis and factor analysis tools. The anticipated findings aim to contribute valuable information on youth travel to the Bali regional government, particularly the Tourism Agency, and other tourism stakeholders. This information can serve as the foundation for devising marketing strategies to enhance the influx of Nusantara youth travellers to Bali.

The Influence of Short Videos on Youth Travel Intention in Self-Media Context ——Based on SOR Theory Perspective

The rise of short videos and the development of self-media in recent years have complemented each other. Through the recording and sharing of self-media creators, colorful short videos have provided new opportunities for promoting tourism destinations. However, the current academic research on tourism destinations from the perspective of short video communication is relatively fragmented, and the impact of short videos as a communication medium on the main body of tourism consumption remains unclear. Therefore, this paper focuses on young people, who are the primary audience of short videos, and investigates the influence of short videos on their travel intentions within the context of self-media, employing the "S-O-R" theory. The research methodology involves conducting a questionnaire survey, and the collected data is analyzed and processed using multivariate statistical methods such as SPSS and AMOS. The findings reveal that traveler perception serves as a mediating factor between self-media short videos and travel intentions. Moreover, the openness, interactivity, and vividness of self-media short videos not only enhance youth travel intentions but also have a positive impact on traveler perception. In light of these results, tourism destinations should capitalize on current trends, leverage short videos as a powerful promotional tool, innovate promotional methods, explore tourism resources in depth, showcase the unique features of tourist destinations, expand their influence, and maximize the promotion of travel intentions among tourists.

Youth Tourists’ Attitudes Towards Travelling within ASEAN Countries: The Case of Thailand

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the predominant attitudes that Thai youth travelers hold toward visiting Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) destinations. This study employed a quantitative approach. A self-administered survey questionnaire was designed based on a review of relevant literature to collect data from 472 participants. In order to investigate Thai youth attitudes, descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were used in the data analysis. The findings indicate that the most significant attitudes Thai young tourists hold toward ASEAN countries as tourist destinations are as follows: (1) Variety of attractions; (2) Safety and security; (3) Ease of travel; and (4) People and cultures. The research findings would help ASEAN destination marketers and practitioners explicitly understand Thai youths’ attitudes and travel behaviors. Thus, appropriate marketing strategies and development programs can be implemented.

Investigating college youth travellers’ food choices using latent class modelling: a case study in China

ABSTRACT This study examines college youth travellers’ food choices using a market segmentation-based latent class modelling approach. A D-efficient stated-preference experiment was conducted in four Chinese cities, identifying two tourist market segments with different preferences. Key factors influencing food choices include cost, taste, waiting time, service responsiveness and noise levels. Elasticities, first differences and willingness-to-pay values are estimated, providing insights for effectively targeting the youth tourism market. Results suggest that improving service quality and reducing noise levels can significantly enhance food appeal, while higher quality yields marginal returns. These findings can assist tourism and catering agencies in devising efficient strategies to attract youth travellers.

Antecedents influence choosing tourism destination post-COVID-19: young people case

PurposeThis study aims to extend the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model with additional factors such as perceived risk, knowledge of COVID-19, social media reviews, destination image and past experience to analyze what influences the travel destination intentions of young people.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey of young people was conducted, and SPSS 20.0 and Smart-PLS (Partial Least Squares) 3.0 software were used to evaluate the measurement and structural models.FindingsThe study uses the extended TPB (Ajzen, 1991) to build on the factors affecting the selection of tourist destinations in relation to the risk perception of COVID-19, past experiences and images of destinations when traveling after the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis study demonstrates the feasibility of applying the TPB framework and protection motivation theory (PMT) elements to people planning to visit a travel destination in the immediate wake of a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains the factors influencing tourists' intentions to visit during and after the pandemic. COVID-19 awareness and previous travel experiences influence post-pandemic travel decisions.Practical implicationsThis research result will help build motivation and confidence for local tourism businesses regarding the rapid recovery of the industry among young people. However, businesses need to vigorously promote safety and adapt tourism services to suit the new post-pandemic situation.Social implicationsThe results of this study can help tourism businesses understand why young people may be hesitant to come to their localities for tourism so they can come up with a suitable development strategy to attract tourists.Originality/valueThis study expands on the framework of the TPB to explore additional factors that positively influence youth travel, and the barriers that concern them. It also provides data on the novel context of tourism in the post-pandemic era.

THE IMPACT OF PANDEMIC ON YOUTH TRAVEL PREFERENCES – AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The pandemic has significantly affected international tourism and in order to reach the level of travel recorded in 2019, a series of measures and strategies are needed that take into account the new perspective of tourists on travel. In this context, the primary purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the effect that COVID-19 has on travel activity preferences, subdividing the young tourists, and most important, how their travel behaviors changed following the pandemic. A questionnaire-based survey has been conducted on consumers of tourist services aged 18-29 years of various nationalities. The key topics investigated were the travel motivations, the criteria according to which they choose the destinations, the type of tourist destination chosen, the average length of stay and activities they prefer to do while traveling. It was analyzed if these preferences changed during the pandemics and among Romanian and foreign young tourists. As young tourists represent a significant segment of international tourism, it was considered that is important for the managers to know how consumers’ behaviors and preferences changed, so they can adapt to them in an effort to reach the pre-pandemic levels of activity. Article history: Received 26 August 2022; Revised 15 September 2022; Accepted 23 September 2022; Available online 25 October 2022; Available print 25 November 2022. JEL Classification: Z30, L83

Interrail youth travel (re)producing communities of belonging – memories of Finnish travellers 1972–1991

ABSTRACT The creation of the affordable Interrail rail ticket offer in 1972 opened up European railway networks to European youth, enabling unprecedented leisure travel abroad for many young travellers. In the Nordic countries especially, Interrail became a generational European youth experience in the 1970s and 1980s. This article examines how Finnish Interrail travellers reconstruct their experienced senses of belonging when reminiscing on their Interrail journeys between 1972 and 1991. The article is based on a qualitative analysis of Finnish Interrailers’ interviews and written narratives. One month’s travel abroad allowed participants to contemplate their identification with and attachments to various groups. Although many Finnish Interrailers experienced the nation state as one reference point in their identification, these young travellers also felt strong senses of belonging to different transnational groupings, such as youth as their age peers or the interrailing community. These findings demonstrate the multiplicity and situationality of belonging. Identification moreover appears as an ongoing temporal process in which reminiscing is also important.

Travel and personal growth: the value of visits to the country of origin for transnational migrant youth

ABSTRACT Migrant-background youth travel often to their or their parents’ country of origin, yet little is known about how such trips affect their personal growth. These trips have either been ignored or analysed through concepts of belonging or identity. By contrast, studies on international education and travel and tourism, which commonly focus on youth without migration background, highlight positive personal impacts of experiences abroad. This paper applies a personal growth lens to analyse how visits to the origin country impact Ghanaian-background youth living in Belgium. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Belgium and Ghana with 25 young people, we show how such trips stimulate self-confidence and aspirations. Self-confidence is strengthened through favourable treatment and access to luxurious spaces that make youth feel special. Young people develop educational and career aspirations after comparing opportunity structures they face in Belgium with their experiences in Ghana and engaging with Ghanaian role models.

Youth labor in socialist Bulgaria - from ideology to labor practices

The research is aimed at an important part of the state policy in socialist Bulgaria - the forced engagement of young people, future intellectuals as an unpaid or low-paid labor force in various sectors of economy. Through this compulsory employment of high school and university students in summer free months the ruling elites aim to discipline the young intelligentsia and to educate them in work habits. The main form of forced labor is the participation in youth brigades, but other alternative forms of youth labor are gradually being adopted and imposed. The text presents an ethnological study of youth seasonal labor in the sector of international tourism in the 1970s and 1980s, looking at the perspective of young intellectuals working during their summer vacations in the Youth Travel Bureau ?Orbita? as part-time tour guides of foreign groups. This form of temporary employment of young people is accepted as an alternative to the participation in youth brigades and is related to intellectual work. The aim is to analyze the main features of the labor culture of part-time guides working at the International Youth Center ?Georgi Dimitrov? near Primorsko. The officially imposed principles and norms for the work of the young collaborators are presented and their application in the working life of the guides is studied. The subjects of research are the attitudes for working with tourists, the relations in the work environment, the labor practices, the difficulties in everyday working life and the ways of overcoming them, the informal aspects of the activities. The study is based on biographical interviews with former guides between the ages of 50 and 65, conducted in 2019 and 2020. As a participant for six summer seasons in this type of work, the author also relies on the method of the reflexive anthropology. The results of the study show how the discrepancy between the expectations and intentions of the ideologues of the provided tourist services, on the one hand, and the behavior and labor practices of young people actually occurs. The examples are indicative of the changes ?from below?, through everyday strategies of young people, of the initially conceived system of the international youth tourism in socialist Bulgaria.

A REVIEW ON THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN TRAVEL DECISION OF YOUTH TRAVELERS

This paper will highlight the review of previously reported data by numerous authors. Nowadays, widespread social media is used more and more especially in tourism. Recent trends in technology have observed the emergence of social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These websites encourage users to share information on what they are doing, upload pictures of what they have been up to, and post blog entries in order to share their interests and activities with other users. From the industry perspective, more and more hotels or tourist destinations are using these social networking sites as communication tools with their guests. It is evident that people are depending on their peers’ reviews through these social networking sites before purchasing products and services. As a result, social networking sites are growing both in popularity and importance for consumers as well as corporate. Previous research regarding the use of social media among youth travellers has mainly focused on its impact on travellers’ travel planning process and there is consensus that travel decisions are highly influenced by social media. Considering that an answer to the research question of “will social media influence the travel decision of the youth travellers”, the aim of this study is to fill this research gap and to examine the influence of social media on youth travellers’ decision making. A proposed conceptual framework is developed in order to understand the influence of social media on travel decision making among youth travellers. The findings of this study are important to tourism online marketers in order to have a better understanding on youth travellers in the use of social media so that they can adapt online marketing strategies for this segment.

Trends in the young generation travelling – the pilot research in the Czech Republic

Youth travel is an important part of global tourism and one of the fastest growing segments. Pilot research based on the questionnaire survey in the Czech Republic identified the trends in young generation traveling, found out some similarities with previous research, but also some changes in these trends in comparison with previous young generation. Key findings of this pilot research are factors influencing nowadays young generation travel decisions, its travel motivation, destinations preferences, planning and booking preferences as well as young generation travel spend, including some specifics for Czech young generation. These findings are important for tourism services providers to adapt products and services to the young generation demand.

The roles of novelty seeking and food authenticity in youth travellers’ decision-making process at night markets: an application of a model of goal-directed behaviour

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to understand the roles of novelty seeking and food authenticity in youth travellers’ decision-making process at night markets by using the model of goal-directed behaviour (MGB). In order to test the research model, which included 12 hypotheses, this study collected 470 samples in China by using online surveys. The results indicated that novelty seeking has a positive influence on attitude toward purchasing food at night markets and food authenticity have positive influences on all the components of MGB. In addition, the practical implications of the findings are also discussed.

The Conceptual Clarifications Of Youth Travel And Tourism In The Case Of Uzbekistan

Youth Tourism has been acknowledged as one of the most perspective sectors of Tourism world, furthermore its trend is showing the high potential possessing for tourism development with the growing rate of student and young people travels. Clearly, in light of a plethora of opportunities and factors youth travellers are willing to spend their free time and weekends by travelling or going to off-beaten track or having trips on new places. As the development of transport, cheap and comfortable hostels, online booking systems together with different kinds of purposes is going to its highest point, travelling has become common for young people. Besides, there are particular factors which have played an indispensable role in urging Youth Tourism to develop significantly. Furthermore, the state and progress of youth tourism largely depends on the state of the methodology and modern practice of learning the theory of youth tourism. The development of Youth Tourism in Uzbekistan is primarily due to the fact that tourism activities are primarily associated with tourism and its legal regulation, as legal and theoretical foundations are considered to be most important to develop any field. This article examines the concepts of youth travel and tourism issued by other scholars and research organization, their approach and methodology and the importance of theoretical aspects of youth tourism. The purpose of this study is to clarify conceptual aspects of Youth travel and tourism in the case of Uzbekistan considering the characteristics and specialties of the country. The approaches were studied to point the main aspects of the travel and tourism activities, as well as, the legal basis of the category.