The Chientan Overseas Youth Activity Center run by Taipei-based China Youth Corps received the top award July 30 in a youth hostel international brand competition organized by Hostelling International.
Mikael Hansson, HI chief executive officer, praised the performance of the youth activity center, which beat out more than 4,000 youth hostels in 80 countries around the world to claim the prize.
Taiwan’s youth hostels are more than ready to welcome the world, Hansson said at a presentation ceremony in Taipei.
“It is our hope that this competition will help raise Taiwan’s international profile as a travel destination,” said Chang Te-chung, director of CYC.
Chang noted that the youth activity center provides a valuable service by offering beds and breakfast for the reasonable rate of just NT$850 (US$29.42) per night in a city where property prices are sky high.
“The number of reservations that the center received during the first six months of this year was up by some 120 percent over the figure for the same period last year,” he said.
According to the Taiwan Youth Hostel Association, more than 30,000 travelers per year have stayed at the association’s accredited hostels in recent years.
Jessica Huang, CEO of the association, said last year, about 33,000 backpackers from abroad stayed at these hostels, with the top four sources of foreign guests being Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the United States, in that order.
“We currently have 37 TYHA-accredited hostels around Taiwan, including 13 CYC-operated youth activity centers. There are still not enough beds to meet demand, however, and backpackers often complain that it’s difficult to make a reservation because the accommodations are always full,” Huang explained.
National Youth Commission Minister Lee Yun-jie, who also attended the ceremony, pointed out that the commission has selected two idle guests houses, in the western counties of Chiayi and Changhua, to be transformed into youth hostels.
“This will help attract even more international backpackers and independent mainland Chinese travelers to choose Taiwan as their travel destination,” Lee stated. (SB)