SUSTAINABILITY OF YOUTH TOURISTS IN EVENT TOURISM: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Youth tourists are becoming more influential as one of the market potentials in both developed and developing countries. Besides their conventional characters of being individuals, travels with tight budget and preferred non guided tours or on backpackers, youth tourists also play significant roles in event tourism which are more specific in term of schedules and themes. However, youth sustainability of event tourism is hardly discussed in tourism studies in Malaysia. Based on a case study of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and a convenient sampling of 130 respondents, this article draws the perspective of youth tourists in event tourism. The findings showed that the clarity of youth tourists in event tourism, form of participation and event suitability act as the mediating factors that encouraged youths’ participation in event tourism. Sustainability of youth tourists in event tourism also depends on the promotional campaigns and knowing the youth tourists’ desires and capabilities.