Young generations are believed to play an important role in the efforts of achieving Sustainable Tourism Development goals. UNWTO’s former Secretary-General Taleb Rifai once stated that “Young people, recognized by the United Nations as a major force for development and social change, have the potential to drive sustainable development in the tourism sector”. Endorsing this belief, AYST exchange program is initiated by students, and for ASEAN students, and non-ASEAN students who have interests in ASEAN community development to learn about issues in Tourism Industry globally. This is a professional and empirical learning environment where young tourism professionals can meet experts and fellows from different countries, participate in field trips to local businesses and heritage sites, encounter real situations, raise their voices, and stimulate initiatives and leadership towards Sustainable Tourism Development.

Main purposes of AYST program include:

Raising awareness of younger generations about Sustainable Tourism Development in the ASEAN region.
Stimulating dialogues, workshops, cultural exchange and discovery, networking and more, for young people within ASEAN, on Tourism and Sustainability.
Building a community of young tourism professionals for knowledge and expertise exchange in the region.
Strengthening the ASEAN community of youth by driving peace and mutual understanding through Tourism.
Empowering cross-border exchanges and collaborations to unlock the potentials of ASEAN young human capital in the Tourism sector.