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Hostelling International

Hostelling International
AbbreviationHI
Formation1932
Legal statusCharity
PurposeAccommodation for backpackers across the world
Location
  • Bell Yard, London, UK [1]
Region served
Global
MembershipYouth Hostel members
Affiliations
Websitehihostels.com
Hostelling Int'l, Washington D.C.

Hostelling International (HI) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation working with UNESCO and the World Tourism Organisation UNWTO. Formerly known as the International Youth Hostel Federation, Hostelling International has 60 member associations operating over 2,650 hostels around the world.[2]

Origins of the International Youth Hostel Federation

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Richard Schirrmann, a German schoolteacher, opened the first youth hostel on 1 June 1912 in Altena Castle, in northwest Germany, with the goal of providing affordable accommodation to youth travelling the country.[3] More hostels were opened in Germany throughout the 1910s, and Schirrmann founded the German Youth Hostel Association in 1919.[4]

Other countries in Europe adopted this concept, which led to the founding of the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) in October 1932[5] in Amsterdam by representatives from Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Ireland, France, and Belgium. Schirrmann, who became president in 1933, resigned in 1936 when the Government of Nazi Germany forced him out while the hostels were put under control of the Hitler Youth.[6][7]

Throughout the 1950s, the hostel concept spread to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. By 1977, the international hostel network had reached a total of 500 million overnight stays, and by 1997, it counted one billion stays.[8]

IYHF began using the name Hostelling International in 2006.[8]

Youth hostels originally differed in setup from modern hostels, although the growing popularity of backpacking culture forced them to evolve. For example, in the UK, as in other countries, the practice of visitors completing daily chores and cleaning tasks as part of their stay was phased out during the 1980s.[9]

Modern organization

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HI hostel in Marina di Massa, Tuscany, Italy

When Hostelling International was founded, representatives agreed on the introduction of an international membership card and established minimum standards for hostels. Memberships are still required today and can be purchased either online, at a hostel, or at a National Youth Hostel Association office or membership-selling outlet.[10]

HI reports 37 million overnight stays annually, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.[2] 60 National Youth Hostel Associations are members of HI, with over 2,650 hostels worldwide.[2]

Although HI holds charity status in the UK, not all member organizations share this status. For example, Hostelling International Canada lost its charity status in 2008,[11][12] and the YHA in England and Wales considered commercializing in response to increased competition from independent hostels.[13]

The COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2023) led some national associations, such as the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand, to sell off properties due to financial impacts.[14]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL FEDERATION - Charity 1117014". Charity Commission for England and Wales Register of Charities. The Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Who We Are?". Hostelling International. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ^ Raison, Stephanie (18 November 2007). "Cultural Exchange". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  4. ^ "A Brief History of Hostelling International". HI Hostels Blog. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  5. ^ Coburn, p. 48
  6. ^ Coburn, p. 81
  7. ^ Hanke, Stefanie (12 December 2011). "Vater des Jugendherbergswerks". Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung.
  8. ^ a b "Our Story – Hostelling International". Hostelling International. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  9. ^ "The History of YHA". LiveMoreYHA. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  10. ^ "About Membership – Hostelling International". Hostelling International. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  11. ^ Broder, Peter (September 2009). "Giving charities their due". LawNow. 34 (1) – via vLex.
  12. ^ Blumberg, Mark (20 January 2009). "Canadian Charities and Business Activities" (PDF). Canadian Charity Law. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Youth Hostel Association to close its hostels after 89 years". Radio New Zealand. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2024.

Sources

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  • Coburn, Oliver. Youth Hostel Story. London: National Council of Social Service, 1950.
  • Grassl, Anton and Heath, Graham. The Magic Triangle: a short history of the world youth hostel movement. [S.l.]: International Youth Hostel Federation, 1982.
  • Heath, Graham. Richard Schirrmann, the first youth hosteller. Copenhagen : International Youth Hostel Federation, 1962.
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