- New York is most popular with student visits up 50%
- Seven of the top ten destinations for student travellers are in the USA
- Trips to Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta decrease year on year
- Bangkok is a bargain, as trips are 20% cheaper than 2016
- Students choose smaller regional airports to save costs
Students are turning to city holidays across the pond as America comes up trumps for British youth travellers, according to StudentUniverse.
The world’s leading travel booking service for students and youth, compared year on year booking data to reveal a staggering seven American cities feature in the top ten destinations for British students. New York, Boston and Washington make up the top three, with the most popular place to visit in Asia – Hong Kong – coming in fourth.
The findings have also revealed the fluctuation in popularity of destinations year on year. The Big Apple’s popularity has soared with visits to New York up a staggering 50 per cent in the last year. This increase coincides with a year on year price decrease, with flights to the city 11% cheaper compared to 2016. Washington has seen almost 30 per cent more youth visitors and trips to Hong Kong are up by a quarter year on year.
Top 10 most popular destinations for student travellers:
| 2017 | Increase/decrease in youth travellers from 2016 | |
| 1 | New York | Up 50% |
| 2 | Boston | Up 12% |
| 3 | Washington | Up 29% |
| 4 | Hong Kong | Up 25% |
| 5 | Shanghai | Up 5% |
| 6 | Los Angeles | Up 6% |
| 7 | Chicago | Down 14% |
| 8 | San Francisco | Down 13% |
| 9 | Atlanta | Down 5% |
| 10 | Bangkok | Up 30% |
Whilst still being within the top ten most popular destinations, Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta have seen a dip in popularity with bookings down year on year. The price of flights to Chicago have increased a staggering 300 per cent since 2016, which has led to a 14 per cent dip in student bookings to the Windy City.
Trend-setters are also turning away from San Francisco with bookings down 13 per cent and Atlanta, Georgia, has also seen a drop-in popularity with bookings down five per cent.
Money savvy students might be interested to know where they can make the most savings on their long-haul trips. The Thai capital, Bangkok, tops the list of the most cost-effective place to travel, with the average cost being 20 per cent cheaper than last year.
San Francisco is 17 per cent cheaper and Los Angeles takes third place being 15 per cent better value for money than 2016.
Top five most cost-effective places to travel compared to last year:
| 2017 | Per cent cheaper than 2016 | |
| 1 | Bangkok | 20% |
| 2 | San Francisco | 17% |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 15% |
| 4 | New York | 11% |
| 5 | Atlanta | 9% |
StudentUniverse booking data has shown a 96 per cent increase in traffic at smaller regional airports in the past year, where students are saving on average €110 on their flight cost compared to flying into main airports. The data shows top three biggest cost savings can be achieved for trips to Washington, New York and Chicago. Savvy youth travellers who are visiting Washington but choose Dulles Airport will save 15 per cent, those choosing La Guardia Airport over JFK will save nine per cent and those choosing Chicago Midway Airport will save eight per cent on their flight fare.
Destinations where smaller regional airports are considerably cheaper than the closest main airport:
| Destination | Cost difference | |
| 1 | Washington (Washington Dulles Airport) | 15% cheaper |
| 2 | New York (La Guardia Airport) | 9% cheaper |
| 3 | Chicago (Chicago Midway Airport) | 8% cheaper |
Dan Baker, General Manager at StudentUniverse, said: “We’re delighted that America has experienced a jump in popularity with youth travellers during the past year and with their wealth of character and charisma, it’s clear to see why students are drawn to great American cities such as New York, Boston and Washington.
“We’re also impressed to see how shrewd British students and youth travellers have become by flying into smaller regional airports to make their money stretch further, a trend we expect to continue for years to come.
“StudentUniverse exists to make global experiences possible and we wholeheartedly support the world being an open book for travel, adventure and exploration.”
Part of Flight Centre Travel Group, StudentUniverse is the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth which launched in the UK in 2013. Through negotiations with a network of global partners, StudentUniverse offers discounted pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours. Its Travel Services division also handles complex itineraries, custom designed gap year experiences and group travel requests. Millions of students use the service every year.
For more information visit www.studentuniverse.co.uk, www.facebook.com/StudentUniverseUK, www.twitter.com/studentu_uk or www.instagram.com/studentuniverseuk.
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For further press information, please contact:
Melissa Hobson/Natalie Garland/James Brooke
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8927
E: [email protected]
About StudentUniverse
StudentUniverse is the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth. Through negotiations with a network of global partners, StudentUniverse offers discounted pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours. Its Travel Services division also handles complex itineraries, custom designed gap year experiences and group travel requests. StudentUniverse also operates Journeys are Made @ GapYear.com, the world’s largest gap year inspiration travel platform.
StudentUniverse launched in the UK in 2013 and was acquired by Flight Centre Travel Group in 2015. StudentUniverse is headquartered in Boston with offices in London, Toronto, New York and the Philippines. StudentUniverse believes that travel is essential to a modern education. Millions of students use the service every year.
For more information go to www.studentuniverse.co.uk, www.facebook.com/StudentUniverseUK, www.twitter.com/studentu_uk or www.instagram.com/studentuniverseuk.
