“Backpacker” Obsolete?

By Josh • July 18th, 2006

Justtheflight.co.uk reports about Australia’s possible abandonment of the word “backpacker”:

“The term ‘backpacker’ could soon be obsolete, or at least out of fashion, as the Australian travel market, one of the top destinations for young travellers, is changing its branding policy…

According to Philip Pearce, a professor in tourism at the James Cook University, in Australia the term backpacker has developed increasingly negative connotations among the youth market, with terms such as “independent traveller”, “youth traveller” and “adventure tourist” gaining popularity.

The Australian tourism industry, which is worth around £1.85 billion, saw the number of travellers staying in hostels drop by 6.6 per cent nationwide last year.”

Read the full story here.

 

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