More than 2,500 youth hostels in Europe’s network invite to explore local cultures and lifestyles, offer to meet travellers from all over the world and to discover stunning places for a better value for money; opportunities which are crucial for youth hostellers.

A Eurobarometer survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism confirms the recovery in 2010 already registered and thus good perspectives for youth hostels in Europe. Especially as travelling for leisure purposes for young people becomes more and more popular. The number of nights spent at hotels and similar establishments increased by 2.8% in 2010, following two years of negative growth. This is also in line with the long-term projections of international experts who estimate that tourism will continue its promising development.

By 2020, the EU is set to attract more than 715 million international arrivals annually (up from the current 400 million arrivals), according to the UN's World Tourism Organisation. Cultural heritage, options for entertainment and the location’s overall attractiveness were keys for the choice of the destination.

Venturing "off the beaten track" to emerging or less popular locations attracts more and more guests. The European youth hostel network offers the opportunity to explore these hidden treasures due to its diversity. All together, youth hostels play an important part for the development of remote regions, promoting responsible and sustainable youth mobility. However, while the general outlook is positive, the European tourism industry is also confronted with a number of challenges such as increasing global competition, the environmental impact of the sector and seizing new market opportunities. In this respect, last year the European Commission presented an ambitious strategy to address these issues.

EUFED as partner of the European Commission will continue to call for strengthening further the basis of sustainable, responsible high-quality youth mobility in Europe.