Preparations for the 24th annual World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC 2015), to be held in Cape Town, have stepped up a gear as representatives from organiser WYSE Travel Confederation met with South Africa's Minister for Tourism recently.

The WYSE Travel Confederation delegation, which included Director General David Chapman and Chairman of the Board Ashraf Wali, met with Mr Derek Hanekom, South Africa's Minister for Tourism, along with representatives from the South Africa Youth Travel Confederation (SAYTC) during a site visit to Cape Town ahead of next September's event.

"We are delighted to be bringing WYSTC to Africa for the first time and, fittingly, to be hosting next year's event in the African city that our research reveals youth travellers would most like to visit in the future," commented Mr Chapman.

"During the meeting we developed a collaborative partnership that will support the delivery of an exceptional WYSTC 2015 for delegates and partners while showcasing South Africa as a youth, student and educational travel destination. Our long-term goal is to ensure that the conference creates a lasting legacy for the country's youth and student travel industry."

Minister Hanekom added: "It is an immense honour for South Africa to have been selected to host WYSTC 2015. We look forward to hosting delegates from all over the world at this exciting event."

Tourism as a whole generated 9.5% of South Africa's gross domestic product in 2013 and accounts for more than 1.4 million direct and indirect jobs in the country. The youth sector provides a significant contribution to total tourism receipts and will play an important role in the future sustainability of South Africa's tourism export earnings.

WYSTC 2015 will be held at Cape Town's International Convention Centre from 22 - 25 September. Registration will open early next year.

For further information about WYSTC and to pre-register visit www.wystc.org.

About WYSE Travel Confederation

  • World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation is a global not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to promoting and developing opportunities for the youth, student and educational travel industry.
  • Founded in 2006 and created from the merger of the Federation of International Youth Travel organisations (FIYTO) and the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) - both formed after World War II to inspire young people through international travel and to help remove cultural barriers - the confederation brings together 60 years of youth travel expertise.
  • Providing international travel experiences to over 10 million youth and students each year, WYSE Travel Confederation"s global community of over 800 members spans more than 120 countries from a diverse range of sectors.
  • From adventure tour operators to au pair agencies, cultural exchange programmes to language schools, hop-on-hop-off buses to student insurance and youth hostels to volunteer programmes, WYSE Travel Confederation is the world"s most powerful network of youth and student travel professionals, connecting key industry players with decision makers and government officials.
  • The Confederation is committed to understanding the ever-changing characteristics, motivations and needs of young travellers. By gathering, analysing and sharing important market intelligence with members, academics and government decision-makers, the unique fast-changing needs of the youth market is at the forefront of its activities as it seeks to accelerate the development of youth travel.
  • For more information, visit www.wysetc.org or follow the organisation on Twitter,Facebook and LinkedIn.

Juliet Stevens
Marketing Manager
+31 204212800
WYSE Travel Confederation

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