Present paper aims at determining the position of tourism in a life style of youth, living in Poland at the beginning of the third millennium. In order to diagnose the issue, seven reports on tourism activity among polish youth have been analysed, the data concerning years 2002–2009. Based on these analysis a stand of the contemporary youth’s tourism activity has been determined, as well as a level of youth’s participation in tourism and their most preferred forms of tourism. Furthermore, the analysis let to determining the tendencies and changes that have had occurred over the given years. The examined reports depict that a vast majority of respondents has had ever taken part in a tourism activity, however the numbers have been declining over the years. The most popular forms of tourism among youth are: recreational tourism, entertainment tourism and cultural tourism. Less popular forms include qualifi ed tourism, ski tourism, special interest tourism, nature tourism, religious tourism, educational and linguistic tourism, and adventure tourism. The youth is nowadays one of the most important segments of the tourism market. Therefore, the analysis presented here may prove very serviceable for those who aim at satisfying the needs and expectations of the contemporary youth when designing a tourist offer.