YHA May Sell Hostels To Pay Debts

Dozens of Youth Hostels are set to be shut down and sold off according to an article in Monday's Guardian newspaper.

The paper reports that the YHA will discuss selling the hostels at a meeting next month as it wrestles with a debt of around £34 million. Apparently the YHA runs at an annual loss and spends some £1.6 million interest charges annually on the debt, while another £12.5 million is still needed for essential hostel maintenance.

Apparently large rural hostels and those in London are most popular and profitable, with small, remote hostels that attract the least visitors likely to be most at risk of closure if the proposed plan does go ahead.

It's the latest installment in an ongoing saga as the YHA strives to keep pace with modern living. When it was founded in 1930, the YHA' s network of hostels had a particular emphasis on introducing young people to the countryside, but changing expectations have led to hostels which see themselves as competing with other accommodation like guesthouses and offer greater luxury than before.

Ironically, many guest at modern youth hostels appear to be middle-aged or older raising the question of just how sustainable many hostels are in the longer term.

Youth Hostel Association: www.yha.org.uk