Young people are great believers in the 'work hard, party hard' attitude towards life. Settling with low paid and unsatisfying jobs, many live for the weekends, or in this case.. their summer holiday. But this isn't just any old summer holiday - I know the 30+ category will be dreaming of white sands, clear waters, cultural old towns, eye-opening excursions, diverse new foods and music, peace and tranquility.. - This is a club 18-30 holiday. Cheap booze, tacky English pubs (for those who have visited these destinations, they will know these so-called pubs are just over-used gazebos with garden chairs and tables selling sausages and mash), scantily clad girls, late night clubbing, condom covered beaches, irritating promoters, water sports (if a banana boat counts), the list goes on...
Although youngsters do not always book to 'eat, sleep, rave and repeat' via this Thomas Cook run company, it is a great example of the types of holiday this age group seek. The towns listed below being the most visited towns by this age group between the months of May and September.
San Antonio (Ibiza):
Malia (Crete):
Sunny Beach (Bulgaria):
Laganas (Zante):
Kavos (Corfu):
Magaluf (Mallorca):
Ayia Napa (Cyprus):
Is it just me or do these photo's look like a scene from Human Traffic?
Fuelled by drugs and alcohol, holiday goers have ruined the reputation and landscape of many small villages and towns in Europe. Families and couples, for instance, will go out of their way to avoid such places - however, the 18-30 holiday industry is still booming, attracting millions every year. Some may argue that despite the disregard to the areas, it has provided a huge economic boost for locals; many relying on this summer tourism to get them by.
I want to discover what is the pulling factor behind this tasteless tourism - do trade fairs, such as the TNT Travel Show, help pull customers in with their group deals and bargains? What incentives or influencing factors persuade young people to travel to these destinations? How do competitors differentiate themselves from each other? And what are the positive and negative impacts upon these places? Should travel agents/promoters/reps be publicising a contrary image?
Let's do this!
