Youth Reading passage 5 1. You should spend 20 minutes on questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 5. Youth: The Future of Travel Young people are invariably at the leading edge of change and innovation ~ land the travel industry is no exception. Young people think outside the box, push boundaries and experiment with the new. In an era of unprecedented challenge forthe travel industry, youth travel represents not just an important 5 market segment, but also a vital source for innovation and change. “The travel industry is itself undergoing rapid change. Traditional vertical distribution chains are giving way to a more complex value network involving a wide range of different suppliers from within and beyond the travel sector. Travel is no longer solely dependent on the infrastructure of 10. the old economy - airline seats, hotel beds and travel agents’ shelves. We are entering a new, flexible, networked economy in which information and communications technology (ICT), local culture and society, education, work and play have become part of the tourism value chain. In fact, the inter-relationships between travel, other economic sectors and saciety as a whole have become 1S so integrated that we might conceive of a ‘value web’ rather than the old value chain, New value web In the new tourism value web, valve is created by linking actors inside and outside the tourism sector in different combinations to create and exploit new opportunities. Young people are often at the forefront of such innovation, because they are willing to cross boundaries and make new links, As early-adopting, 20 heavy users of new technology, young people are pioneering the use of social networking sites and mobile media in searching for travel information and purchasing products, Young people are the future of travel Youth travel has grown rapidly in recent decades as living standards have risen and the populations of developing countries are starting to travel forthe fist time. Indeed, these first-time travellers are 28 often characterized by being young and comparatively affluent, The global youth travel industryis now estimated to represent almost 190 million international trips a year, and the youth travel industry has ‘grown faster than global travel overall. By 2020 there will be almost 300 million international youth trips per year, according to UNWTO forecasts, The youth market therefore represents a major opportunity for future growth in the travel industry. With 20 effective development and marketing, the potential of the youth market can be increased still further. Why youth travel Youth travel is important because itis a market for the future - not ust for the future development of the young people themselves, but also the places they vist. WYSE Travel Confederation research shows that young travellers often spend more than other tourists and they are likely to return and give more value important 935 to the destination over their lifetime, Moreover, young travellers are a growth market globally, while the spending power of older generations in Western economies may decline in the long term, Another reason why young people are important is that they are less likely to be discouraged from travelling by factors such as disease or natural disasters. They are also the pioneers who discover new destinations and are at the cutting edge of using new technology. Last but not least, young travellers gain cultural benefits from 40 theireravel, and contribute to the places they vist.U 4 nit 5 UNWTO and WYSE Travel Confederation are convinced that youth travel has moved far beyond its original status as a specialized travel niche co become an important element of the travel mix in any tourism destination. One of the reasons for this is that travel underpins many different aspects of youth lifestyles. For young people: Travels a form of learning ‘Travels a way of meeting other people Travels a way of getting in couch with other cultures Travel isa source of career development ‘Travels a means of se- development ~Travelis part oftheir identity you are where you've been, Young people see travel as an essential part oftheir everyday lives, rather than jus a brief escape from realty, This has far-reaching consequences for the places they vst. Because ofthe way they travel, the social and cultural consequences of hosting young people are becoming even more important than the economic effects. So the added value to be extracted from youth travel les in innovation, positioning, cultural links, international trade and exchange, social support, education, learning support for local communities, and s0 on Questions 1-7 Technique ‘Summary with wordlist Complete te summary blow using the ist af words (4-0) from te pita forthe section whieh Youth travel: a force for change ‘alates to tho summary. Inall fields, including the travel industry, young people are usually atthe 2 Giants orateny abet) forefront of any new 1 They set trends and so are a2 vith your oun words. 3 Look for wordsideas from for innovation and change. This is important as the travel industry is also Fe ero a experiencing its own 3 “The modem travel industry is not about wows inthe toa airline seats and hotel beds any more, but anew more open economy were || # Phdwordsphrasesin the wees meeeet factors suchas local culture and society have a4 in tourism. Find words that you can ‘liminate from the kst. Indeed, the 5 of travel and other parts of the economy and society Read the relevant section ‘means that traditional vertical distribution chains have been replaced by a fina satan eoTolat 6 , or value web. Due to increased numbers of fairly rich young, fies scree 6 Look at the end of the travellers from developing countries, 7 now accounts for nearly becriray Reclea Eat 190 million trips annually, whore the summary right end in the reading passage A transformation —B_ impact © developments 7 Nota that some of the words in the summary D_ transforming E crucial force F conflict pe G interest H block 1 role eee network K link L_ older travellers M. integration N circumstances youth travelYouth Questions 8-10 Choose three letters, A-G. Which THREE of the following reasons for the importance of youth travel are given by the writer of the text? ‘They make use of the latest technology that is available. ‘They spend a large proportion of their money on travelling worldwide, ‘They avoid conflicts with local people more than older people. ‘They will probably return to the places they have visited later in their lives. moa ee ‘They are more likely to learn the local language than older people are. ‘They are experiencing a rapid increase in their disposable income. om ‘They give something back to the destinations they have been to. Questions 11-13 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. 11 Travel is central to young people's lifestyle, partly because A. ithelps them to retax B itis an educational experience. C itimproves their confidence. D_itmakes them more mature, 12 According to the writer, the economic impact of hosting young people is A. ofno consequence compared to the social and cultural effects B_ of greater consequence than the social and cultural effects. © ofesser consequence than the social and cultural effects D_ just as valuable as the social and cultural effects 13 The writer concludes that ‘A. youth travel is not an important area forthe travel industry B_ the main contribution of young people to the travel industry is in innovation, C young people value the cultural links gained from travelling more than. anything else. D_ there is a wide range of additional benefits to be derived from youth travel. 2. What is your reaction to the contents of the reading passage? Do you agree with the reasons ‘sven for why travel is important for young people? Why/Why not?