THERE was a time when it looked like Scottish youth hostels were in terminal decline. In the 1990s, membership was falling and hostels were being sold off; it also looked like, in the age of the cheap flight abroad, the appeal of a budget bed in Scotland was waning. The youth hostel movement may be beloved by many Scots, but there were some real questions about whether it could find a place in the 21st century.
More than 20 years on, the picture looks very different, although the changes have not been easy. At its peak, the SYHA owned more than 90 properties – now it is 60. The organisation has also sold off some of the hostels that were most treasured by travellers, including the very first hostel the SYHA opened: Broadmeadows, outside Selkirk.
However, it is hard to see how the SYHA could have survived without making some profound changes. There will always be a few diehards who think hostels have become too comfortable and would prefer a spartan dormitory and a basic washroom, but the kind of accommodation that travellers expect, even those on a budget, has changed. The vast majority now want a room of their own, and the SYHA has had to move with their visitors’ expectations.
But hostels should not change too much. Keith Legge, the chief executive of the SYHA, says visitor numbers are buoyant, there has been a programme of investment and the organisation is just about to launch a campaign to recruit new members. But what the movement must not lose is the sense of a shared experience.
Visitors may no longer be required to “do a duty” before setting off in the morning, but the heart of a good hostel is the common room and the kitchen and the chance to talk to other travellers. Hostels have had to change for the 21st century, but the key to their long-term survival will be keeping in touch with the founding principles of friendship.
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