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Welcome to the December EHC Newsletter, and the first thing we need to say is
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Also we would like to say a big thank
you to everyone that has supported us over the past months as we got the
EHC and GoMio.com off the ground. As always we love to hear all your thoughts
and suggestions about the newsletter, and we hope everyone has a great time
in 2005.
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| Hostelling and Backpacking News |
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New Hostels Opening... and some closing
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Quite a few new hostels, either opened or opening, were brought to our attention
over the last month. If you hear about any hostels opening or closing, or are
embarking on a new project that you would like everyone to know about, drop
us a line so that we can include it in future editions of the EHC newsletter.
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Copenhagen The Copenhagen tourism website announced the opening, in May 2005
of a new 700 bed hostel in the centre of the city run by the Youth Hostel association
of Denmark, Danhostel. The ‘Danhostel Copenhagen City’ will be one of the largest
hostels in Europe. You can read more about the newest edition to the Copenhagen
hostelling scene at: www.visitcopenhagen.com.
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Barcelona A new hostel in Barcelona, the ‘BCN Paraiso Travellers Hostel’ has
opened its doors on Ronda de Sant Pau. Run by four friends, it opened over the
past few months and you can get more information at the hostel&rsqu;s website by clicking
on: www.paraisohostel.com.
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Granada Staying in Spain, the 15th October saw a new arrival in Granada. The ‘Funky
Backpackers Hostel’ on the Cuesta de Rodrigo del Campo, but sadly we could not
find a website for this hostel... so if anyone knows, let us know!
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Bratislava A new hostel in the Slovakian capital opened on the 10th December,
and is called the ‘Papio Hostel’. It is located at Spitalska 35, and as with
the Funky Backpackers there is no website (yet!) but guys, let us know when it
is online.
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Berlin One hostel closes, another opens... the Clubhouse hostel shut its doors
on the 1st November, but from the 1st January there will be a new addition to
the Berlin hostel scene. The ‘Helter Skelter’ opens at Kalkscheunenstrasse 4
and you can check it out at www.helterskelterhostel.com.
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Hostelling in the Media
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Once again we found some examples of hostels and hostelling in the media, including
a report on hostels in Russia which you can see below. As always, if your hostel
is featured in the press, or you see an article on hostelling and backpacking
that you think is interesting for the newsletter, let us know. It doesn’t have
to be in English, but we might ask you to translate it for us!
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German newspaper, Tagesspiegel featured a small article last month about the
Inout hostel in Barcelona, a 184 bed hostel that is staffed entirely by people
with Downs Syndrome and other learning difficulties. The hostel is run as part
of an initiative for the integration of handicapped people into the working
world, and is supported by a number of local companies. You can find more information
about the Inout Hostel, its concept and also the house and facilities themselves,
at their website: www.inoutalberg.com
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Slovenia was the feature of an article in the San Francisco Bay Guardian online
edition (8th December) and included a short review of the Hostel Celica, which
is described as ‘a highlight’. The Hostel Celica in Ljubljana is housed in
a former prison, and each of the cells has been decorated by local artists
to create one of the most unique hostels in Europe. You can read the whole
article at: www.sfbg.com
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Is the nature of backpacking changing? The Sunday Times in the UK seems to think
so, exploring the idea of ‘Flashpackers’ in an article published on 31st October.
According to the Sunday Times flashpackers are basically backpackers in philosophy
and ethos, just with a little more money to spend. They still may travel ‘off
the beaten track’, and even stay in hostels, but they don’t mind spending big
bucks on optional extras such as balloon rides or helicopter trips. What the
article shows is that the idea of backpacking is increasingly appealing to
slightly older people with a little bit more money to burn, at home in a 4
star hotel but equally in an 8 bed dorm. Could it be that independent travelling
is becoming more mainstream? You can read the article and take a test to
see if you are a backpacker, a suitcase traveller or a flashpacker by clicking
on the following link: www.timesonline.co.uk
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Hostels in Russia
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The St Petersburg Times on November 19th featured a long article entitled ‘The
Hostel Option’, exploring the hostel scene in Russia in general and St Petersburg
in particular. It looks at the growth of hostels in the city over the last
few years, with mentions for the Hostel Zimmer Freie, St Petersburg Traveller
Hostel, Hostel Metro Tour, Sleep Cheap, the St Petersburg International
Hostel, as well as the VodkaTrain adventure tour company.
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The article is interesting because it looks at the rapid growth in the hostel
scene in St Petersburg (a good number of these hostels opened or ‘converted’ only
in the last 2 years), but also some problems that a number of hostel owners
in other countries may be able to relate to, most importantly the lack of recognition
for the hostel scene by the local tourist authorities.
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But undoubtedly, despite such problems and the fact that there are two official
youth hostel organisations, just to complicate matters further it seems as
if Russia is opening up to the backpacking market, with more options than ever
before, and is beginning to see the kind of growth that was witnessed in other
European countries over the past decade. You can read the whole article online
by going to the St Petersburg Times at:
www.sptimes.ru
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Hostel for Sale
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Liam and Kati Moriaty of the Evergreen House Hostel in Youghal, Ireland have
asked us to include this for sale offer in the EHC Newsletter
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"Family run Holiday Hostel for Sale Evergreen House Holiday Hostel.
Bord Failte approved Tourist hostel only a minute walk to 7km of blue flag beach,
Five guest bedrooms all en suite with TV's in the room, (Sleeping 23 Max.) Large
TV Lounge, There is a dining room and guest kitchen, also an enclosed private
garden with BBQ. Also included is the private family apartment with two bedrooms,
bathroom, kitchen and lounge area. As well as the bord failte approval the property
has an up to date fire cert. After five years we have out grown the private
apartment with the arrival of an other baby. So its time for us to move on.
A ready made business. Please give Liam a call if you have any questions."
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You can contact Liam at:
Evergreen House, The Strand, Youghal, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland
www.evergreenireland.com
info@evergreenireland.com
Or telephone: 00 353 24 92877 or 087 9690059
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Backpacking Research
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For those of you that have read the previous EHC newsletters will know,
we have been looking into the different studies that have been done into
backpacking and the independent travel scene. This month we have found
another couple of studies that some of you might find interesting:
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Erik Cohen from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published an article in 2003
entitled ‘Backpacking: Diversity and Change’. This is a very philosophical
and academic study of backpacking as a cultural phenomenon, and traces the
development of backpacking and ‘backpackers’ from the drifters of the 1960s
and 70s to the contemporary travellers who fill up our hostels now. Interestingly
it seems as if the academics are only catching up with what we in the hostel
scene already know: that &lasquo;backpackers’ and other such travellers are looking
for something different than the average tourist, that one of the key points
is meeting people and socialising which is why they choose hostels and
that they are the ‘trend setters’ of modern tourism. The article, an interesting
if at times heavy study of backpackers and travellers, can be found at:
www.ingentaconnect.com
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Another study, which was published at the end of 2003 by Greg Richards and Brian
King, was written for the Australian Travel Commission and is titled ‘Youth
Travel and Backpacking’. The article basically pulls together and reviews
recent developments and trends in youth tourism and markets, and provides some
interesting information about the importance of the ‘backpacking’ business
to global tourism. There are some interesting points raised by the study, some
of them highlighted in previous studies that we presented in the EHC newsletters:
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- Increasingly people prefer the term ‘traveller’ to ‘backpacker’
- Average length of a trip by young travellers is 60
days
- Average money spent in destination is $1200 ($20
a day) the figures for Europe are higher at 26 for Northern Europe, 23
for Eastern Europe, and 23 for Southern Europe
- Backpackers who visit a destination as a ‘poor backpacker’ are
often likely to return as a wealthier traveller and this is one reason why
the Australian government has put in place policies to attract the backpacking
market. The idea of backpackers as ‘trend setters’ and ‘opinion leaders’ in
their home countries is increasingly becoming apparent and recognised by governments
and tourist authorities.
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These last few points may be important for those of you who are having to try
and convince authorities or other agencies as to the economic importance of
hostelling and the youth travel market.
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Greg Richards sent us the copy of the report, and there is no web link available,
but if would like to find out more about this study (which includes a short
sub-section on European Hostels) please send an email to Paul in the office
at paul.scraton@gomio.com.
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Tourism Statistics
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In the October edition of the newsletter we brought you some tourism statistics
from www.tourmis.info. You can access the statistics for free, but you need
to register first. In the last month they have updated the statistics to cover
a longer period of time, and also more countries, and so we collected them
together for you here:
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Please Note: The figures are a percentage comparison with the same period in
2003, and apply only for foreign visitors. These statistics do not include
domestic tourism.
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| Destination | Bed Nights | Arrivals | Period (2004) |
| Austria | + 0.6 % | + 2.7 % | January September |
| Belgium | - 1.2 % | n/a | January April |
| Bulgaria | + 23.9 % | + 17.7 % | January September |
| Croatia | + 2.0 % | + 5.0 % | January August |
| Cyprus | + 3.4 % | + 2.9 % | January October |
| Czech Republic | + 21.9 % | + 25.3 % | January June |
| Denmark | - 4.0 % | n/a | January September |
| Estonia | + 27.0 % | + 25.3 % | January July |
| Finland | - 0.8 % | n/a | January August |
| Germany | + 9.2 % | + 10.6 % | January July |
| Greece | n/a | - 4.0 % | January September |
| Hungary | + 1.6 % | + 8.4 % | January September |
| Iceland | n/a | + 15.4 % | January August |
| Ireland | n/a | + 2.8 % | January September |
| Italy | - 0.6 % | + 0.5 % | January September |
| Lithuania | + 47.0 % | + 38.0 % | January July |
| Luxembourg | + 2.5 % | + 3.8 % | January September |
| Malta | n/a | + 3.8 % | January October |
| Netherlands | - 1.0 % | + 3.0 % | January September |
| Norway | + 7.0 % | n/a | January August |
| Poland | n/a | + 20.0 % | January August |
| Portugal | - 6.0 % | n/a | January July |
| Romania | + 21.3 % | + 21.1 % | January June |
| Slovakia | - 4.3 % | + 2.2 % | January June |
| Slovenia | + 5.0 % | + 10.0 % | January October |
| Spain | - 3.2 % | + 1.9 % | January September |
| Sweden | + 3.0 % | n/a | January October |
| Switzerland | + 3.0 % | n/a | January June |
| United Kingdom | n/a | + 12.0 % | January September |
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Some interesting points include the fact that the ‘traditional’ sun
and sand destinations such as Greece, Portugal and, to some extent, Spain and
Italy have suffered this year, Northern Europe seems healthy and there has been
a boom in the east, particularly in those states that joined the European Union
in 2004. The increase in the number of flights by budget airlines to more ‘unusual’ destinations
is sure to have had an impact on the numbers as well.
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German Tourism Statistics
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More detailed information was published by the German National Tourist
Board (Deutschen Zentrale fuer Tourismus - DZT) in the past week regarding
tourism in Germany. Their report found that although Germans travel more
than any other nation, domestic tourism in Germany fell by 1.3% in 2004.
However, the number of overseas visitors to the country has increased, thus
bringing a 9% growth in the number of overnight stays in the country. If
these keeps up for the final three months of year, as projected, it will
be new record for overnight stays in one year.
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The nationalities that provided the most visitors to Germany, according to the
DZT, are the Dutch, Americans and the British. A big rise in tourists from
Eastern Europe has also influenced the figures, as has a 50% increase in visitors
from China, a trend that we have touched upon in the previous two newsletters.
The DZT expect the growth to continue next year, by the slightly more moderate
figure of 2%, but with the FIFA World Cup coming in 2006 the DZT is confident
for the future of German tourism.
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One final interesting point in the DZT report was the increase in the number
of visitors to Germany using the internet for research and bookings. In 2004
the figure was one in three, a 500% increase on 1999. For those of you who
can read German, you can find the report at:
www.tagesschau.de
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Americans Abroad
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An article in the San Diego Union Tribune highlights a positive trend for those
of you that have noticed a reduction in American guests since the September
11th attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. The article, ‘America’s
Innocents Abroad’ states that the student and youth travel makes up 20% of
tourism, a figure that matches the global trends published by the WTO that
we highlighted in the last newsletter. It also states that more and more Americans
are studying abroad, with an 18% growth in students doing languages at university
since 1998.
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Also interesting is the fact that a non-profit organisation called Business for
Diplomatic Action are attempting to combat anti-Americanism abroad by publishing
a ‘World Citizens Guide’ that aims to teach American students and travellers
how to behave when they are in other countries. This may be important as some
studies have shown that many young Americans are increasingly wary of travelling
because they believe that they will receive a negative reaction because of
their government’s policies. You can read the whole article from the San Diego
Union Tribune at:
www.signonsandiego.com
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Budget Airline News
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For those of you that have felt the impact of the ‘no frills’ budget airlines
on visitors to your hostel there are some new routes announced by the two big
players, Ryanair and Easyjet, plus news of the demise of two other airlines
that have found the increasingly crowded market too competitive:
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Ryanair have announced a number of new routes from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport,
including; Dublin, Shannon (from 3 May), Cork (from 26 April), Rome (from 28
January), Venice (from 26 April), Milan (from 25 February), Pisa (from 19 April),
Barcelona Reus (from 31 March), Granada (from 26 April), Murcia (from 31 March),
Limoges (from 19 April) and Nimes (from 20 April). As well as the routes from
Liverpool, Ryanair has also announced the following; Blackpool to Barcelona Girona
(starts 31 March), Pisa to Barcelona Girona (starts 1 March), London Gatwick
to Knock (starts 19 January), London Stansted to Brno (starts 24 March), London
Stansted to Wroclaw (starts 24 March) and London Stansted to Granada (starts
7 February).
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Easyjet have also announced some new routes and destinations; Bristol to Budapest,
Madrid and Rome, London Luton to Bratislava, Belfast to Geneva, Inverness and
Palma (commencing Friday 1 July 2005), Berlin to Olbia and Pisa (commencing
8 April 2005), London Gatwick to Olbia (commencing 27 May 2005) and London
Luton to Cagliari (commencing 21 April 2005).
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Meanwhile two budget airlines have gone to the wall in the last few weeks. Italian
airline Volare, who offered flights from various destinations in Italy has
collapsed due to heavy losses and debts, whilst Polish airline Air Polonia
also grounded all its aircrafts. A number of other airlines offered flights
to stranded passengers, but this might be the beginning of the budget airline ‘blood
bath’ that was predicted by Ryanair’s chief executive in the summer.
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| European Hostel Cooperation News |
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Hostel Meeting Announcement
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Please note, for all of you who were interested in the European Hostel Cooperation
Hostel Meeting, we changed the date announced in the last newsletter because
we did not realise how early Easter is next year (!). The finalised dates are
FRIDAY 8th and SATURDAY 9th APRIL 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic. Friday night
will be a small ‘welcome’ get together and flyer exchange, Saturday in the
daytime will be the time for presentations and workshops, and then everyone
cuts loose for the party on the Saturday evening.
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As you know there will be a few presentations as well as a number of different
workshops. Some of the topics that will be covered include; Regional and National
Hostel Networks; Reservations Software Overview of the Market; Issues relating
to National Tourist Boards and Government Agencies; and Backpacker and Hostel
Research Group.
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We are still open to any suggestions for workshops if you have anything you would
like us to cover, or you would like to contribute to a workshop mentioned above,
please get in touch with us. For more information or to PRE-REGISTER your attendance,
please email Katrin in the office at katrin.schoenig@gomio.com.
Full details
of venues, accommodation options and final registration details will be available
in late January.
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Advertising on GoMio.com
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The final details for anyone interested in advertising on GoMio.com have
now been finished, and you can get an advertising pack from the office
by dropping us an email. Advertising space is available on the City and
Country Pages of the website, and we have a number of different options
available.
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Emails with questions regarding advertising, or if you would like an advertisement
pack, should be sent to: info@gomio.com
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Developments on GoMio.com
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We are in the process of developing the booking process on GoMio.com
to increase the number of options for the guest and also for the hostel.
The changes to how the booking system functions will come online in the
upcoming weeks and these changes will also come into effect for those of
you using the GoMio.com booking system on your own webpage. We will email
all the GoMio member hostels with this information as soon as it goes ‘live’,
and, as always, if you have any suggestions about how we can make the GoMio
management system or the portal itself any better, then please let us know!
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On the portal itself we have added a Links Directory, which we intend to build
up into one of the most comprehensive directories of backpacking and budget
travel related sites on the internet. If you know of any sites that we missed
and think would be useful for the guests please let us know. Of less importance,
the About Us section has been expanded with pictures and bios of the staff
in the EHC office, so if you want to put a face to a name, that is the place
to look.
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We have also changed slightly the Rankings and Reviews page on each hostels microsite
to make it cleaner and easier to understand. We had a few problems with this
function that are solved now, and we would like to thank those hostels that
got in contact with us to let us know about them.
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Finally, the first of the city maps Berlin went live over the last month,
and we will be adding city after city over the next few months. We are still
working on the content for the city and country guides, and if you think that
the information for your location is limited, and you would like to introduce
your town or city on GoMio.com, then please get in contact with Paul in the office
(paul.scraton@gomio.com).
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EHC 2004 End of Year Comments
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So we’ve (nearly) reached the end of 2004 and finally a chance to reflect
on what has gone on. From the moment the EHC was conceived, all the way through
the hostel meeting in Rome, the first few months in Dublin and the move to
Berlin, it feels like we haven’t had a moment to catch our breath. At the
end of the year, and the end of this newsletter, all of us in the EHC office
would like to say a big thank you to those that supported us, gave us encouragement,
suggestions and constructive criticism, and basically made what we are trying
to do seem worthwhile.
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As always, we love to hear from you, so please get in contact if you have any
suggestions, comments, criticisms or would just like a chat...
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The European Hostel Cooperation GmbH
Johannisstrasse 2
10117 Berlin
Germany
Telephone: +49 (0) 30 2462 8500
Email: info@gomio.com
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So, that’s it for 2004 and there is only one thing left to say... Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
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From Your EHC Team.
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