Early indications reveal that a strong contingent of Australian delegates will be attending this September's World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation (WYSTC 2014) in Dublin.

The high volume of Australian delegates registered for the leading global youth travel industry event have made the country the third most represented destination at WYSTC 2014 after the United States and United Kingdom.

As in previous years, there will be an Australian Village throughout the conference in Ireland providing operators with the opportunity to establish new business relationships with trade partners and ensure there is a co-ordinated destination showcase for the country.

David Chapman, WYSE Travel Confederation's Director General, said: “With our research demonstrating that Australasia is the fourth most popular destination for young travellers and that it has witnessed significant growth in the past decade, especially compared to Europe, we are delighted that the region will be well represented at WYSTC 2014.

“Given WYSTC's programme of networking and business appointments, we're confident that our upcoming conference will prove the ideal environment for delegates to connect with new partners around the world and it is fantastic to see the legacy of last year's event in Sydney still going strong.”

Jennifer Woodbridge joined WYSE Travel Confederation this summer as a Strategic Development Consultant to help drive the growth of youth travel and provide tailored support to WYSE Travel Confederation members in the southern hemisphere. Having spent the last two decades holding senior positions in the Australian inbound tourism industry, Jennifer had most recently been working with the Australian Tourism Export Council, through which she attended several WYSTC events.

Jennifer will be meeting with members from the southern hemisphere throughout WYSTC 2014 to explore the best ways WYSE Travel Confederation can help capitalise on regional opportunities over the coming years.  Anyone interested in making an appointment with Jennifer and helping shape the future of youth travel in this fast-developing region should contact her at jen.woodbridge@wysetc.org.

This year's WYSTC event will take place at the Convention Centre Dublin, Ireland, from 23-26 September. To register for WYSTC 2014 or for more information visit www.wystc.org.

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Notes to the editor

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About WYSE Travel Confederation

• The 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 in the 1940s to inspire young people through international travel and to help remove cultural barriers - the confederation brings together 60 years of youth travel expertise.
• WYSE Travel Confederation is endorsed by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and UNESCO.
• Providing international travel experiences to over 30 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.

About the World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC)

• Now in its 23rd year, WYSTC is the annual event of WYSE Travel Confederation and WYSTC 2014 is the essential business-to-business global youth travel industry event.
• From 23 - 26 September 2014, more than 700 travel professionals from over 450 businesses globally will gather at the Convention Centre Dublin, Ireland for four days of trading, seminars and workshops, networking, industry think tanks and more.
• For more information, visit www.wystc.org
• Stay in touch via Twitter at @wystc and using #WYSTC2014.