Hostelworld.com has teamed up with gapyear.com, a portal in the gap year space, to provide latter its hostel booking engine.

Published: 15 Aug 2007

Hostelworld.com has teamed up with gapyear.com, a portal in the gap year space, to provide latter its hostel booking engine.

The hostel booking engine now gives gapyear.com complete booking functionality.

Hostelworld.com’s Chief Marketing Officer Niamh Ni Mhir said gap years are no longer relegated to school leavers, the sector has expanded significantly to encompass post university students, those on career breaks and those travelling independently from 55 to 65 around retirement.

“With gapyear.com being the dominant force in this sector it was the obvious choice for a partnership as it gives us access to a receptive market and allows us to effectively reach customers while they are in the process of planning and updating their travels,” said Niamh.

She added, “Gap Year travellers, on average, travel for longer on strict budgets and therefore need access to accommodation that won’t break the bank. We offer travellers the widest range of budget accommodation choices with 12,000 properties in 165 countries ranging from hostels to guesthouses, budget hotels and even campsites. All our bookings are made securely, in real time and are guaranteed.”

gapyear.com founder Tom Griffiths said, “The tag of ‘low spending budget traveller’ is misleading. The average gapper travels for longer and as a result the market has an average spend in excess of £5,000 per person. In the UK , whilst the gap year travel market comprises only around one percent of all UK outbound trips, it punches well above its weight with roughly 10 percent of outbound travel expenditure.”

“By 2010 it is estimated that around two million gap year trips will be made worldwide, with a total expenditure reaching around £11bn (Mintel Gap Year Report). Spend on accommodation forms a significant part of this market. It is essential, therefore, that we provide a cutting edge offering that integrates smoothly with our unique one-stop-shop model to service our growing global customer need,” said Griffiths.