--- More than accommodation
A brief History of Hostelling International
- There had been a need for economic accommodation among the young since the 16the century in Europe.
- The youth hostel movement was start in 1909 by a German schoolteacher Richard Schirrmann.
- 1912 the first real youth hostel opened in the old castle of Altena.
On one of these excursions, on 26 August 1909, the group was caught in a thunderstorm.They finally found shelter in a school building in the Bröl Valley.The headmaster let them use a classroom and a farmer gave them some straw to sleep on andsome milk for their evening meal. The storm raged the whole night. While the boys slept,Schirrmann lay awake. That was when he had an idea…
- The youth hostel movement grew rapidly.
- This all changed on October 20, 1932 when the first international conference was held at a hotel in Amsterdam.
All reports agree that it was a friendly and harmonious meeting, devoted entirely to the practical problems of preparing the way for the development of international youth travel. The conference accepted the following principles:
- Hostels must basically be open to the entire youth of the country and on the most favorable conditions possible;
- young people should pay lower membership and overnight fees than adults;
- young people should also have priority over other guests in the allocation of beds.
There are six chapters in the history of Hostelling International:
- 1909-1934: Origins
- 1935-1945: Shadows of War
- 1946-1965: Rebuilding and Renewal
- 1966-1980: An Explosion of Global Travel
- 1981-2000: Growth and Transformation
- 2001-Present: Tragedy and Renewal
Mission of Hostelling International
"To promote the education of all young people of all nations, but
especially young people of limited means, by encouraging in them a
greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation
of the cultural values of towns and cities in all parts of the world,
and as ancillary thereto to provide hostels or other accommodation in
which there shall be no distinction of race, nationality, colour,
religion, sex, class, or political opinions and thereby to develop a
better understanding of their fellow men, both at home and abroad. "
There are two highlights in the mission statement that attracts people:
Second, it delivers the message of equality and friendship. We are in the age of globalization, more intercultural connections are made among different countries and regions. The young, who are enthusiastic, open-minded, energetic, have the responsibility to the well-being of a understandable and peaceful world. With the smile on everyone's face, all discrimination will be dismissed. Having personal contact with people from different background will contribute to the appreciation of a different culture. "One hand shake at a time, long friendship would last for a lifetime."Hostelling international is not only a place for accommodation, but also resources for travel, since its locations are spread all over the world and it provides the basic information of every continent. Here is the Hostel in North and Central America.
Advancing with the times --- Social Media power
Since the audiences of Hostelling International is mostly young people who are members of e-communities and some 70% of them believe that social media is a force for change the world, it is important and useful to have social media power. Hostelling International is active in Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, Google +, LinkedIn Group, YouTube and Blog.YouTube
Hostelling International joined YouTube on Feb 11, 2009 and now has 505 subscribers and 75,046 video views.Through a tour, it gives the basic idea of Hostel.
It transfers the energy and enthusiastic of young people who like to travel and make friends.
See video in other languages: Español – Português – Deutsch – Français – 中文–Janpanese
What I have posted above are the videos produced by Hostelling International, and as a youth brand whose audiences are digital natives, there are of course videos from the groundswell. By inviting people to tell their stories, more enthusiasm and reasons to sty don't need to be explained.
Blog
CEO's Blog
The CEO's Blog is more simple than other professional blogs, just one picture and several paragraphs. This blog don't update often, but the transfers the idea that CEO wants to talk to the customers and this is important for marketing communication.
Big Blog Exchange
They encourage people by saying:
who will have the chance to travel and exchange blogs, lives, places and cultures simultaneously for ten days. So, whether you blog about travel, politics, fashion, beauty, or even cupcakes, we want YOU to take part and help us change the world using the power of YOUR blogs.
The competition starts on March 2013 and I will keep track of it.
There are 17,925 likes on the page and the page is pretty active; the average time of response is one day. The topic of post are board from general questions to advertisement of worldwide Hostelling International. And it is very interesting that some post are non-English.What makes Hostelling International Facebook more effective is that it combines other social media tools, such as booking, twitter, you tube and so on.
The content of Facebook page are mostly attracting travel information, Youth Hostel activities and updates on other social medial websites.
There are 5,422 followers on Hostelling International Twitter.
The content of twitter are top travel resort, travel tips, young folks actives.
There are some interactions with people regarding to awards and discussion topics.
Flicker
Some of the pictures are the facilities of the Hostel; some are activities among people; there are also pictures of beautiful scenery of nature. "A picture is the best way to tell a story"Foursquare
Although there are only 956 likes on Hostelling International Foursquare, the impact is never small. Instead of "talking to the groundswell", Foursquare is more like "listening to the groundswell". It is the tips from every individual that make this page active and valuable comments will help more travelers in their next trip.
They want their customers to be inspired by our hostelling community. But their is no community activities in their Pinterest page.Conclusion
Hostelling International has a good reputation of serving as a comfortable and economic accommodation for young travelers, and also stands out for its educational impact and influences of making the world a peaceful one big family.The social media tools are well used for its public communication. And more social media monitoring reports will be posted in the future.
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