This year's World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC), held in Barcelona September 20-23, played host to the inaugural Global Youth Travel Awards.
The awards formally recognize outstanding performers in several fields of youth travel and reward those members who contribute so much to the industry and community.
The awards are open to members of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation. Members were invited to submit entries in the months leading up to the event.
WYSTC is pleased to announce the following winners:
The WYSE Travel Confederation Extraordinary Experience Award
Winner: Michael Teoh and Smaller Earth
This award showcases a young person who had a demonstrably extraordinary overseas experience through one of our member organizations. Examples might include a young person who has volunteered or worked in Africa, climbed the Himalayas, learned an exotic language, or engaged in a valuable way with another culture.
The WYSE Travel Confederation Innovation in Marketing Award
Winner: CIEE’s “2 Months, 35 Countries” campaign
This award honors a demonstrably innovative and successful marketing campaign, online sales initiative, or use of technology, which can be inspiring to other youth travel organizations. This might be a clever advertising campaign, an innovative way of engaging with customers, a ground-breaking Facebook campaign, or even a successful harnessing of mobile technology.
The WYSE Volunteer&Travel - Outstanding Volunteer Project Award
Winner: San Juanillo Fisherman’s Association and International Student Volunteers
This award showcases volunteer projects that stand out through key characteristics such as sustainability and responsibility in this growing industry segment.
The WYSTC App Yap Award
Winner: tripwolf
The best and brightest travel apps were in the running for this award. “App Yap” refers to the chance for the top 10 vote-getters who are registered for WYSTC to present their respective apps at the conference for five minutes to fellow delegates and organizations.
The WYSE Work Abroad “Expand Your Horizons” Video Contest Award
Winner: Krupali Patel with Volunteering India
This award honors creative videos showcasing the great impressions, cultural encounters, lessons learned, and new experiences that work/volunteer abroad experiences provide.
The STAY WYSE Green Initiative Award
Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA
This award recognizes the organization WYSTC feels is doing the most to reduce their environmental impact and make “green travel” an important part of their operational activities while encouraging others to follow suit.
The ISTC Skills Exchange Award
Winner: Steve Lowy&umiHotels
The ISTC Skills Exchange brings together an existing STAY WYSE member and a hostel in a country with a less-developed youth travel infrastructure, and this award recognizes the individual/organisation that contributes time and effort to the business needs of another organization. The goal is to help hostels in developing areas around the world improve their businesses in areas such as sales, marketing, branding, strategy, and operations, and by extension create more opportunities for youth and student travel.
The STUDY WYSE Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: Manel Bassols, CETT (Barcelona)
This award recognizes an individual and/or organization that has contributed to the advancement of study abroad programs and to the development of quality education for young people across the globe.
WYSTC is pleased to announce the following winners:
The WYSE Travel Confederation Extraordinary Experience Award
Winner: Michael Teoh and Smaller Earth
This award showcases a young person who had a demonstrably extraordinary overseas experience through one of our member organizations. Examples might include a young person who has volunteered or worked in Africa, climbed the Himalayas, learned an exotic language, or engaged in a valuable way with another culture.
The WYSE Travel Confederation Innovation in Marketing Award
Winner: CIEE’s “2 Months, 35 Countries” campaign
This award honors a demonstrably innovative and successful marketing campaign, online sales initiative, or use of technology, which can be inspiring to other youth travel organizations. This might be a clever advertising campaign, an innovative way of engaging with customers, a ground-breaking Facebook campaign, or even a successful harnessing of mobile technology.
The WYSE Volunteer&Travel - Outstanding Volunteer Project Award
Winner: San Juanillo Fisherman’s Association and International Student Volunteers
This award showcases volunteer projects that stand out through key characteristics such as sustainability and responsibility in this growing industry segment.
The WYSTC App Yap Award
Winner: tripwolf
The best and brightest travel apps were in the running for this award. “App Yap” refers to the chance for the top 10 vote-getters who are registered for WYSTC to present their respective apps at the conference for five minutes to fellow delegates and organizations.
The WYSE Work Abroad “Expand Your Horizons” Video Contest Award
Winner: Krupali Patel with Volunteering India
This award honors creative videos showcasing the great impressions, cultural encounters, lessons learned, and new experiences that work/volunteer abroad experiences provide.
The STAY WYSE Green Initiative Award
Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA
This award recognizes the organization WYSTC feels is doing the most to reduce their environmental impact and make “green travel” an important part of their operational activities while encouraging others to follow suit.
The ISTC Skills Exchange Award
Winner: Steve Lowy&umiHotels
The ISTC Skills Exchange brings together an existing STAY WYSE member and a hostel in a country with a less-developed youth travel infrastructure, and this award recognizes the individual/organisation that contributes time and effort to the business needs of another organization. The goal is to help hostels in developing areas around the world improve their businesses in areas such as sales, marketing, branding, strategy, and operations, and by extension create more opportunities for youth and student travel.
The STUDY WYSE Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: Manel Bassols, CETT (Barcelona)
This award recognizes an individual and/or organization that has contributed to the advancement of study abroad programs and to the development of quality education for young people across the globe.