Abstract
The paper discusses the curent tourism promotional activities targeting the youth package market. It argues that marketing messages which use sexual imagery are an example of the successful targeting of Generation X. The marketing strategies of the UK youth tourism operator Club 18-30 form the case study although the discussion is relevant for all tourism marketers interested in appealing to the youth market segment.
The paper briefly discusses market segmentation and then reviews some of the recent literature which highlights the lifestyle characteristics of today's young consumers. Its main focus, however, is to highlight the role of sexual imagery in tourism marketing and to assess the success of a particular campaign which clearly uses sex to sell torrrism products. It concludes that this is an effective campaign aimed at younger consumers, especially in view of recent arguments that many market-