Lack of Hostels Poses Barrier to Youth Travel in Serbia

09/08/2005

Although young people from around Europe are increasingly being drawn to Serbia as a travel destination, they often cannot find an affordable place to stay. Serbia lacks hostels, a mainstay of youth travel, and the law does not even recognise them as a category.

By Davor Konjikusic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade - 09/08/05

Serbia is attracting an increasing number of young travellers. [AFP]

This year, as in previous years, the many young people who attended Serbia's EXIT music festival were unable to stay at hostels. Instead, they had to search for hotel rooms or pitch a tent at a campsite.

Hostels are a mainstay of youth travel, but they are lacking in Serbia. Though vital to tourism, this age group continues to be overlooked. Young people travelling on shoestring budgets have neither the ability nor the interest in staying at luxury hotels. And although musical events and happenings are drawing an increasing number of youthful visitors from neighbouring countries, when they arrive in Serbia they often can't find anywhere to sleep.

The government is finally starting to take notice. Momcilo Neskovic, who heads the marketing department at the tourism ministry, acknowledges that a need exists for building hostels. "We look at hostels from two aspects. One aspect is purely that of tourism, for these young people will also spend money in Serbia. On the other hand, they are important in terms of potential, as future frequent visitors to our country. They will see what we have to offer, and perhaps one day they will come back with their families," Neskovic says.

Hostels offer considerable business potential both to domestic and foreign investors. But first they have to be built. One option, according to Neskovic, is to construct new facilities from scratch. A more economical option is to adapt facilities originally built for a different purpose.

Hungary offers a successful model in this regard. There, the state has allowed Communist-era miltary and industrial facilities to be adapted into hostels.

In Serbia, Belgrade's Student Centre operates two student dormitories as hostels during the summer. According to the centre's director, Dragana Vujacic, these facilities provide 1,500 beds. "We have excellent co-operation with the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade. We expect a considerable influx of individual guests, and they are mostly younger persons who stay with us mostly as participants in sports events that are held during this period. However, there were older tourists who expressed interest in our services," Vujacic says.

One obstacle is that hostels do not exist as a category in Serbian law. This prevents them from being set up legally. However, a number of private, unauthorised hostels are reportedly operating in Belgrade, some even offering Internet service. And some business-savvy Belgrade residents have adapted apartments or houses, offering them as inexpensive lodging.