New Business Deals Formed at World Youth and Student Travel Conference

Nov. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Over 550 CEOs and leaders from over 350 international youth and educational travel companies gathered in Beijing recently for the sector’s most important trade event of the year: the World Youth & Student Travel Conference (WYSTC).

With so many global industry leaders under one roof, it’s not surprising that WYSTC is where the sector’s new initiatives are first agreed and unveiled.


New STUDY WYSE Association Shows Promise for the Language and Education Sector
Perhaps the most progressive news came from the WYSE Travel Confederation, the organiser of the event, when they revealed a new language and education association called STUDY WYSE. During an open meeting attended by 80 language and educational travel specialists, the industry threw its weight behind the need for a global association to create better trading platforms, recognize local accreditations, collectively lobby governments and improve visa access for international students.

Ulises Ortega of Mundo Joven and Anders Ahlund of EF International Schools both expressed support for STUDY WYSE’s potential to facilitate knowledge-sharing across all the different sectors of the industry including high schools, tertiary education and language education.

STAY WYSE and ISTC Launch Skills Exchange Project in Cambodia
Rosy’s Guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia is the lucky participant in a new Skills Exchange Initiative Project which received the green light from the WYSE Travel Confederation’s ISTC Board during WYSTC.

Following a strict selection process of over 300 hostels in developing countries, Rosy’s was chosen to receive valuable advice and support regarding operational and marketing tactics from STAY WYSE member umi Hotels. Steve Lowy, owner of umi Hotels, gladly stepped forward to assist Rosy’s as part of his company’s corporate social responsibility program.  

The project is designed to stimulate collective thinking throughout the youth travel industry and support youth travel operators in developing countries.

Mikael Hansson, CEO of Hostelling International and STAY WYSE Board Member, enthused, "I think this joint initiative is fantastic. It is great that by working together we are able to assist the industry in emerging markets and make those businesses feel part of the bigger community. By creating this joined-up thinking, it should stimulate these new markets, creating new members for the WYSE Travel Confederation and reinforcing its position as the global body for youth travel.”

New Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Arrives in the Middle East
A new backpacker bus across Jordan, Israel and Egypt will set off in March of next year under the name of Falafel Travel Corporation. Founder Frank Scerri, who currently operates religious tours to the region out of Melbourne Australia, met with various agents at WYSTC to sell the new product.

The new routes are a series of modular sectors within each country that can be travelled separately or combined in a three-country pass.

“People are genuinely excited about this product but the biggest question I have had is about security in the region. These countries are very safe places to travel and the people are extremely friendly,” he said.

The announcement marks the second year in a row an Australian company has launched a hop-on hop-off backpacker bus in a new part of the world at WYSTC. Last year Dragon Bus announced their venture into China, and with this year’s event taking place in their own backyard, Dragon Bus provided day tours for attending delegates both before and after the conference.

IEP Australia and Work n Holiday Merge
Under a new arrangement, inbound participants from all of IEP Australia’s current partners (including BUNAC UK, BUNAC USA and SWAP Canada) will, from 1 January 2011, be handled by Work n Holiday.

Sam Habbouche, Managing Director of Work n Holiday said at the signing, “This merger is not only great news for both organisations but, more importantly, for the participants. They will be part of the largest and best-equipped inbound organisation in the country and will have access to Work n Holiday’s extensive services in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.”

IEP Australia, under the leadership and direction of General Manager Tennille Balaz, will continue to promote and develop its flagship range of outbound programmes (such as Summer Camp USA, Work USA, Work Canada and volunteer programmes) throughout Australia.

Both IEP Australia and Work n Holiday will still retain their separate brand identities. IEP New Zealand is a separate operational entity and is not affected by this agreement.

Surfs Up in New Zealand
Stray New Zealand and Mojo Surf have announced they will collaborate to launch Mojo New Zealand this year.

Stray Managing Director Neil Geddes raved, “As well as their influence in the backpacking market, the Mojo Surf brand and reach gives us access to the growing Australian market.”

Mojo Surf NZ will be offering three, five and seven day surf adventures from Auckland by early 2011.

Australia in One Month? No Problem.
Oz Experience has launched a new product at WYSTC called Oz Express. “In developing this product we have listened and adapted to the market, while maintaining our reputation for providing high quality product but within a budget and timeframe that will suit a certain percentage of travelers,” said Oz Experience Director Greg Zammit.

Oz Express strips out some of the more expensive components from Oz Experience to offer a cheaper and faster traveling option, bringing the maximum travel time on the East Coast route to 35 days. Travellers with Oz Express will still get the same flexibility of travel and in-depth commentary that is synonymous with Oz Experience.

Backpacker Transport Operators Network Formed
Seven backpacking transport operators have taken the first step in forming a joint global marketing organisation in a private meeting on the opening day of WYSTC 2010.

The founding members of the Backpacker Transport Operators Network will set up a budget for web development, establish a business-to-consumer trade show schedule and work toward sharing their databases of customers to maximise joint marketing efforts and a referral program.

“From a customer’s point of view there is real value in receiving discounts and product updates from like-minded companies, as well as a knowledge that these organisations are striving together to provide a style of travel that they desire,” summed up Stray Asia and Stray New Zealand Managing Director Neil Geddes.

The founding companies are Stray Asia, Stray New Zealand, Oz Experience, Dragon Bus China, Bamba Bus Latin America, Moose Travellers Network Canada and Falafel Bus Middle East. This group is expected to grow to approximately 10 or 12 organisations over the next few months.

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About WYSTC and WYSE Travel Confederation:

WYSTC is the annual event of the WYSE Travel Confederation, which is endorsed by the UNWTO and UNESCO. The WYSE Travel Confederation is a not-for-profit membership association dedicated to supporting the global youth travel industry and creating new opportunities for youth and student travellers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.wysetc.org.

WYSTC connects the many sectors and organisations that serve millions of young people who travel to study, work and grow. Bringing these diverse industries together under one roof provides a singular opportunity to pursue innovative partnerships, develop creative marketing and distribution channels and tap into new markets. This year, WYSTC was held at the China World Trade Centre in Beijing, China from 17 – 20 October 2010.

More information can be found online at http://www.wystc.org. Industry and event news can also be tracked at http://wire.wystc.org.