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The British Education Travel Association (Beta) has underlined the important part that young travellers have to play in the world tourism industry.

Beta has international affiliations extending through a global network of more than 3,000 education, youth and student travel organisations.

Dick Porter, chairman of the association, said that the 'budget image' associated with young travellers was now a thing of the past, as they now spend more time and money in foreign destinations than their older counterparts.

'Forget the budget image, today's young travellers stay longer and spend more overall than mainstream tourists, with the average spend per trip increasing by 40 per cent in just five years,' Mr Porter said.

Speaking to MPs and leading travel industry figures at the House of Lords, Mr Porter described youth travel as 'arguably the fastest growing part of the tourism industry'.

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, in 2006 visitors to the UK between the ages of 16 and 34 spent an average of £565 per visit, compared to less than £500 by those aged 35 to 54.

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