Organizational-economic conditions for the development of youth tourism

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Organizational-economic conditions for the development of youth tourism

V. Riashchenko, Doctor (Economics)

Introduction

Tourism actively influences the development of the economy, economic restructuring and changing priorities, including social, increasing the contribution to the overall economic well-being of the population.

In the world of tourism youth tourism development system plays special and significant role. Throughout the world tourism system, the proportion of youth tourism is increasing annually by 1.5%. The age structure of tourist flows has significantly changed. Now the proportion of travelers under 30 years occupies more than 40% of tourist traffic.

Youth tourism is developing the most dynamic and active element of the productive forces of the region, and, therefore, contributes to the resource potential of the country as a whole. Youth is an important prerequisite, a factor of social change and innovation strength, it is not only the object of influence on the part of society and the state, but also potentially the most energetic, innovative and radical subject of social development [17].

Young people around the world are travelling more, spending more and exploring new destinations, according to travel industry experts at this year's World Travel Monitor forum. Youth travel was long seen as a small part of the travel and tourism industry, characterised by cheap prices and low spending. However, the picture has changed in recent years, according to diverse studies. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that youth travel generated US$ 182 billion in international tourism receipts in 2012, and represented more than 20% of the more than one billion international arrivals [9].

The average cost of a trip by a young person amounted to US$ 910. The number of international trips by young people might increase from 200 million trips a year at present to 300 million by 2020, UNWTO has predicted. The European youth travel market represents nearly half of the global market with some 93 million outbound trips by 15-29 year-olds in 2011, according to IPK International's European Travel Monitor. With a 23% share, youth travel has a similar share of the European market as worldwide [9].

Main results

The concept of «youth tourism» has been broadly defined in the specific literature; however, there is no clear definition universally set and accepted. The term “tourism” is defined by the World Tourism Organization as: «activities of people who travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year, for leisure, business or other purposes» [20]. The World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation ads to the above mentioned definition the term «independent travel», which refers to trips taken by young people independently, without being accompanied by a parent or guardian [11].

Youth policy is determined and approved by the national program, which sets out the objectives of the organization and financing options. Nordic programs have already been adopted and are being implemented. Estonian and Latvian youth policy still has not been developed. Youth policy documents of youth tourism is not directly mentioned, with the exception of Germany. Different countries have set different youth age range. The United Nations set the youth age requirement to be 15 - 24 years old, Estonia regards youth being between 7 - 26 years old, Austria 15 to 25 years old, Finland up to 29 years old. As shown by statistics, children and youth together constitute an average of around 30% of the total of any European country's population. This aspect of young people must be paid a lot of attention to. Youth tourism strictly does not distinguish between young people and children.

Youth policy in European countries, including the Nordic and Baltic countries, is being built in accordance with European Union programs and the European Union leaders' decisions. The so-called "White sheet", a document that will determine the priority of youth policies and operational principles, will be completed and presented until the end of this year.

Youth mobility. European and Nordic youth policies in recent years have distinguished priorities, which include youth mobility, information and counseling. Youth Mobility aims to:

encourage youth mobility by removing legislative, administrative and financial constraints, including information and training field.

harmonize the documents governing the international youth exchange contracts and programs.

make proposals to the institution responsible for the development of youth mobility and youth exchanges.

support the activities of these organizations related to youth mobility.

create an international instrument for the promotion of youth mobility.

Achievement of these objectives will increase youth exchanges and international experience increases.

Youth Tourism in the Baltic Sea region and Europe. After many decades of neglect, the Baltic States and certain Central European countries youth tourism today offers a wide range of options. Youth travel with families, individually and in organized groups. The organized groups of young people face the early period of development, and includes different youth tourism forms - a school trip, foreign language learning trips, various forms of youth exchange programs. The youth tourism development requires using today's opportunities, activating the youth, attracting it to the Baltic Sea region, as well as taking into account that the youth is the future grown-up tourist, who will return again in the future. 85% of Northern youth aged between 14-19 years travel abroad and only 15% travel locally, about 10% of them work, but 2/3 do not have their permanent income. About 16% of all departing youth travel around Scandinavian region. Young people of 6 -14 years mostly travel around Germany.

Youth tourism is different from other forms of tourism in terms of length of time spent abroad. Half of tourists are absent more than seven days, 14% more than 15 days and 7% more than 22 days. Tourism studies show that in 1998 73.8% of young people traveled individually and only 10.9% of their trips were organized by the travel agents. German tourism experts point out that in the Baltic Sea region, the main problems facing the youth tourism are:

Limited budget;

Lack of information;

No knowledge of foreign languages;

Lack of interest.

Clearly that youth tourism performs not just a recreational function, but also is of great importance for formation of personality and influences an individual's personal development process.

Types of youth tourism. Youth tourism can have many types, however, the following are the most often used: educational tourism, volunteering, work and travel, cultural exchange, sports and adventure tourism and leisure tourism [10].

Educational tourism. The term educational tourism or edutourism refers to any «program in which participants travel to a location as a group, with the primary purpose of engaging in learning experience that is directly related to the location» [1]. It is comprised of several sub-types including ecotourism, heritage tourism, rural/farm tourism, and student exchanges between educational institutions. The notion of travelling for educational purposes is not new [4];[6];[9]and its popularity in the tourism market is only expected to increase [4];[6].

Youth exchange programs and projects.

International programs. European Union exchange program 'Youth for Europe' offers young people opportunities for mobility in the European Union in the third millennium; they become active citizens of Europe, who are not afraid to take responsibility of the processes taking place in society. In order to achieve and maintain a balance between an individual's personal development and collective activity of all public sectors, the program is implemented in the following tasks:

Help young people to acquire knowledge, skills and abilities and help them understand the value of acquired experience;

Promote the integration of youth in society and encourage them to take the initiative; youth policy tourism

Involve in youth activities a growing number of young people with fewer opportunities (such as people with disabilities, youth from low-income families, young people from remote, rural areas and groups at risk);

Limit all forms of discrimination and promote equality at all levels of society;

Allow young people to freely express their solidarity in accordance with the understanding of both the local and European realia;

Help young people to understand Europe's cultural diversity.

Youth participation in the program is to be developed and the projects to be implemented through the following sub-projects:

Youth for Europe - youth bilateral and multilateral exchange projects, as well as travel multilateral projects involving a European dimension aspect;

European voluntary work - projects within the framework of youth as volunteers sent or recruited in the environment, culture, sports, art, etc. related fields, without receiving remuneration;

Youth Initiative - a group initiative projects that are being implemented in Latvia and "Future Capital" project implemented by a volunteer in two years after his return from volunteering in Europe;

Common activities - education (Socrates II), vocational training (Leonardo da Vinci II) and informal education (Youth) joint initiative projects involving organizations active in the fields of education, vocational training and youth work;

Aid measures - any kind of activities that focus on youth exchanges, European Voluntary Service and initiative projects, the program's objectives and the European youth policy-making, i.e. seminars, training courses for youth workers, managers and project managers, thematic study visits, creative project planning and preparatory visits, information materials and dissemination of information campaigns, etc.

The Tempus program is designed for development of higher education in Eastern European countries. It has been operating since 1990. Latvia has been taking part in it since 1992.

Socrates is the European program for education development. It has been operating since 1995. Latvia has been participating in it since 1 November 1998.

European volunteering is an exchange program that offers non-profit work in labor camps, construction, landscaping, organizing events, working with children, thus gaining experience in communication, practical work skills, intercultural experience.

European Youth Forum - represents youth organizations that deal with young people involved in projects and common activities, organizes seminars, prepares specialists for work with youth.

Student exchange programs:

AEGEE - international student organization whose priorities are higher education, intercultural understanding, peace in the unstable region and an active civil society.

American Field Service - AFS, which has its own Latvian representation.

Youth For Understanding - understanding of youth.

Association Internationale des etudiants des Sciences Economique et Commerciale - AIESEC, popular among Latvian students. Organizes a variety of local and international events.

International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience - IAESTE - dealing with Latvian Student Initiative Fund.

Baltic and Nordic programs and projects.

Youth Forum of the Baltic Sea - Baltic Sea Youth Councils Network, which provides the youth organization of courses of action and goals. Forum is organized twice a year.

Baltic Sea Youth Project (Baltic Sea Youth Project) - launched in 1999 in Sweden. It provides an opportunity for young people from different social organizations to cooperate on many levels - international, bilateral and regional. It is the cooperation in the form of joint forums, seminars, camps and visiting. In Latvia is represented by the Latvian Youth Council.

Nordplus mobility program is a program designed for university students and teachers, in co-operation with the Nordic region in the field of culture. The program started in 1998 and was initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Nordplus program objectives:

Promote active cooperation between Nordic universities to create an educated society in the North,

Increase the number of students studying at universities in other Nordic countries,

Encourage faculty to use mobility, going to the other Nordic educational establishments, thus improving the quality of education,

Provide scholarships for full-time students, in addition to the national scholarship for students who go to study in another Nordic university,

Offer academic fellowships for a period of not more than 4 months,

Provide scholarships for academic staff and university administration for short business trips,

Provide scholarships for study courses.

For this program to be financed, co-operation agreement between the cooperating organizations is necessary.

Ballad - Nordic and Baltic exchange project information through electronic means. Database search partners.

Central and Eastern European Program - this program is coordinated by the Forum for Sid in Sweden, it is designed to stimulate, improve and finance co-operation between Sweden and Central and Eastern European countries.

Nordpraktik program gives young people the opportunity to acquire practical skills in one of the Nordic organizations or companies.

Baltic Sleipnir - the program for professional artists under 36 years old. It aims to give young professional artists the possibility to take part in the ongoing artistic events in the Nordic countries, to get acquainted with the Nordic art and to establish contacts with the artists.

Volunteering. It is defined as the practice of individuals going on a working holiday, volunteering their labour for worthy causes in an organised way [12]. During volunteering, they perform activities such as «aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society; the restoration of certain specific environments or research into aspects of society or environment» [13], while also performing alongside touristic activities [19].

Work and travel programmes. This type of youth tourism has become very popular amongst the young people who have a passion for travelling. The program implies that the participants are hired by a company in the host country usually in the summer holiday (3 months). During this period, they earn some money and they also have the opportunity to travel, familiarise with the local customs, learn the language, and as mentioned above, to travel, having a whole month to do so.

Cultural exchange. This notion can be defined as the exchange of individuals between different countries. This particular exchange is known to take place between students, artists, and athletes, in addition to many other types of individuals and professionals who express interested in it. Generally, this exchange takes place between two or more different countries who are trying to promote the same, if not similar, understandings [15]. The fundamental purpose of a cultural exchange program is for students to share their own culture with the others and learn from others [16].

Sports and adventure tourism. Sports and physical activities are a part of the increasing variety of leisure activities and pastimes. This thriving leisure culture has led to the evolution of a sports tourism industry that has begun to earn an international reputation [17]. Sports tourism, or more correctly, Sport Tourism refers to travel which involves either observing or participating in a sporting event staying apart from their usual environment. Sport tourism is a fast growing sector of the global travel industry and equates to $600 billion a year [14].

Leisure tourism. The international youth leisure market can be broadly defined as young, independent, adventurous visitors aged 15- 29 years old from overseas. This includes young people on holiday, visiting friends or relatives. The main emphasis is on the idea that this is a non working holiday and it is based on recreational activities. As a young age group, youth leisure travellers tend to have lower than average incomes and are price sensitive value seekers. Yet they are willing to stretch their budget to seek out personal indulgences and memorable experiences [19].

Latvian Youth Tourism. Youth tourism has a long history and tradition. Latvian youth travel organization is engaged in both private and public organizations. In some municipalities there are the institutions that deal with student organization of leisure time. Children and young people's leisure center «Riga Pupils Palace», which has had its roots since 1941, should be noted here. It was originally formed as a republican institution, but now it is known as «Riga Pupils Palace» of the Riga City Council authority. Its main tasks are:

optimal conditions for young people's learning, interests, abilities and talents, self-education and creative work, vocations, reasonable and purposeful leisure time and leisure organization;

methodical work program, working forms and methods of development, aid workers pedagogical mastery and increasing cooperation with children and youth organizations.

Its main lines of action:

secondary training for children and young people through training different profiles hobby groups;

organization of various events for young people in Riga and Latvia (theater performances, sports competitions, exhibitions, concerts, contests, etc.);

participation in the city, national and international events, competitions, contests, festivals, etc.

summer camps (local and international);

the cooperation with children and youth organizations;

profile of methodological work, its improvement.

Tourism and Sports Department currently offers the following hobby groups:

Archeology and History of Riga;

Badminton;

Checkers;

Mountain climbing and sport tourism;

Sports tourism;

Rock climbing;

Orienteering sports.

From non-governmental organizations that are actively engaged in youth tourism, the following can be mentioned:

Latvian Youth Hostel Association «Travel Latvia»;

Sports and Tourism Education Centre «Altius»;

Nature research and environmental center;

Youth Information and Mobility Center;

Latvian Scouts organization;

Youth sports club «Velogrupa»;

Recreational center «Ezi»;

Environmental Protection Club group «Celaprieks»; etc.

Companies, which primarily target youth and offering specific tourism products directly to young people, are a travel agency «Columbus junior» and «Student and youth travel office». Their activities are mainly focused on international outbound tourism.It should be noted that youth tourism plays role in local tourism development too. It has been observed that entrepreneurs, as well as public institutions such as LTAA (Latvijas atverto tehnologiju asociacija - Latvian Open Technology Association) target mostly international tourism development. As a result, the domestic market has a negative trend both as to increase of the price level of goods and services, and business attitudes towards domestic tourism. About 70% of LTAA marketing activities are directed abroad. Accordingly, the less is being done in local tourism development and promotion. Also, local governments lack the resources to develop local tourism. Consequently, it is not developing the infrastructure that would be available for domestic tourists and travelers. Any country's economy for the local tourism is of great importance and local tourism plays an important role in youth tourism.

Generally it is the fact that Latvia has no enough organized system of youth tourism establishments, although cheap accommodation is of great importance in the development of local tourism. Since spring 2001 Latvia has joined the world's largest Hostelling International accommodation chain, but due to lack of financing, work is not carried out at the appropriate level. Latvia has around 50 potential Youth Hostels (Jana Raituma, 2001), which themselves have limited knowledge and financial resources to develop. Private entrepreneurs, understanding this form of tourism, not risk to invest in it. Guest house sector, where home owners live on site and provide rent to tourists, benefits in this situation. Youth guest houses are of little importance, because of the limited number of beds, the relatively high price and home owners do not always have to be sensitive to youth groups. Perspective in youth tourism is camping, but also its development is difficult.

Latvian students must obtain tickets to use public road transport, thereby the number of young people who do not study, but - who would like to travel is reducing. Latvian Railway passengers are entitled to carry with them for free one child not older than 7 years old in domestic transport, and not older than 5 years old in cross-border transport, if he/she does not occupy a separate place. In all other cases a child ticket must be purchased. Latvian Railway inflexible marketing policy and the inability to quickly respond to the tourists and the tourist flow, affect not only the youth tourism, but domestic tourism as a whole. Private public road transport, such as Eurolines, Ecolines, Car beam, on the contrary provides a 10% discount for the international students and ISIC card holders.

Conclusions

Youth is the most active part of society, which is not always given sufficient attention. The country's development and future depends largely on the education and well-being of its youth. In recent years, especially in the context of the European Union, youth mobility and youth tourism as a mobility component are increasingly being discussed, but the youth tourism can not be viewed only from the perspective of the tourism industry. Youth tourism is viewed more in relation to the processes including education. Youth tourism is inherently sustainable tourism, if it is properly managed and not moving of its own accord. Unfortunately, youth tourism research both in Latvia as well as in other countries because of its uncertain status and place in the public system is still undervalued, although the idea of mobility is one of the central youth policy in the European Union. This type of tourism is actual as there are many young people in important spheres of life - education, practical experience, culture, place in society and so on. The nature of the youth tourism as a subject has been distributed only in some of the Baltic states and European countries.

As shown in this paper, there are many types of tourism that can be and are practiced by the youth. It is also shown that the preferences of the European young traveller are slightly different from the Latvian travellers'. The first difference is that, on a European level, more emphasis is placed on cultural exchanges and volunteering while in Latvia work and travel, sports and adventure types of tourism are more preferred. However educational tourism is highly preferred by both.

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