大学生是我国旅游市场的一支重要力量。根据2006年4-6月对陕西省七所高校学生旅游行为的问卷调查,对大学生旅游偏好、旅游消费水平、旅游组织方式、旅游空间行为及旅游服务与价格评价进行分析研究。结果表明:大学生普遍喜欢旅游,对自然类风景区更热衷,旅游动机以观光游览、度假休闲为主,旅游时间上表现出较强的集中性,暑假是大学生旅游最集中的时段;陕西大学生平均旅游花费为394元,80%的大学生旅游花费和月均生活总支出在500元以内,旅游花费约占大学生各种生活支出的15%;旅游组织方式呈现出与同学朋友结伴出游为主的小群体出游特征;中短距离的省内旅游是主体,80%的旅游活动在800公里范围以内,较吴曲线略远;大学生对旅游服务质量基本满意,但旅游服务价格相对较贵。

According to statistics, college students are now a very dynamic and important tourist market force in China. Based on the survey carried out to 337 college students from 7 universities in Shaanxi Province from April to June 2006, college students' travel interest, preferences, expenditure, travel modes, spatial behavior and their assessment to travel products quality and prices were studied.
The results surprisingly found that college students in Western China in general have a very high travel interest. They travel about 2.13 times every year and prefer the natural attractions to human attractions. College students mostly travel in a few specific time periods of the year, with the summer vacation being their first choice, followed by the May First Day holiday and the National Day holiday. The average travel expense each time by college student is 394 Yuan, mainly on the basic travel needs of sightseeing tickets, transportation, food and lodging. About 80 percent of the students spend no more than 500 Yuan, which is also the number of 80% students' monthly living expense. It is also found that college students' travel expense accounts for 15% of their total living expenses. The most popular travel mode is to travel with schoolmates or friends, rather than joining tour groups by travel agents. Train and bus are the two most important transportation means. The word-of-mouth communication is the most important travel information channel to college students, rather than any other channels, inferring that there is huge market potential to which the travel business and travel agents should pay more attention to. As to the travel distance, the research shows that distance decay is obvious and about 80% college students are traveling within 800km. This is a big jump compared to the conclusion drawn by Wu Bihu in 1997 that 80% urban residents traveled within 500km, confirming that the transportation, accessibility to visitor attractions and tourist purchasing power have all improved dramatically in the last decade in China. Analysis of college students' assessment of tourist products, services and prices found that currently tourist products and services in the domestic market are generally satisfactory to college students travelers while prices are somehow expensive.
Based on the analysis above, the paper points out that the annual travel demand by college students in China is estimated to be over 27 billion Yuan, accounting for more than 5% of the total domestic market demands.