 2016-02-01 |
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As the number of tourists and backpackers in Taipei continues to grow, affordable "youth hostels" have emerged as a popular alternative to traditional hotels. The first youth hostel opened over three years ago, and despite a modest initial growth with only a few hostels in the first three years, there was a dramatic increase of seventeen new hostels last year, reflecting a surge in the backpacker market.
Chen, a 32-year-old backpacker, notes that with limited travel budgets, the affordable youth hostels, offering beds, kitchens, and laundry facilities, meet basic needs. More importantly, these hostels often feature communal lounges where people from around the world enjoy socializing, making them feel more like home than just a place to stay.
Taipei’s first youth hostel, "Orange Hostel," opened in 2012, followed by five more in the subsequent year and three additional ones in 2014, bringing the total to nine. Last year alone, seventeen new youth hostels were officially registered, and with three more opening in January, the total now stands at twenty-nine, mostly clustered around Taipei Main Station and extending into the Ximen area.
Chen Ya-hui, a section chief at the Taipei City Government's Tourism Bureau, explains that youth hostels, also known as "Hostels," are quite common abroad. Unlike traditional hotels, hostels rent out beds rather than rooms, with prices ranging from NT$500 to NT$1,300. Their varied decor styles help them carve out a niche in the tourism accommodation market.
Chen adds that Taipei currently has a higher demand for rooms than supply, and since luxury hotels cater to high-spending tourists, their clientele does not overlap significantly with the budget-conscious backpackers that hostels attract. Thus, while youth hostels are becoming increasingly popular, they are unlikely to significantly impact traditional hotels.
With new hostels opening one after another, operators are brainstorming ways to attract and retain backpackers. For example, "Ximen Nest" in the Ximen area features a "container" theme, with an electric door made from real container iron plates, vintage wooden tables, leather seats, hand-painted Ximen maps, and a "blackboard" for backpackers to leave their travel notes.
The "UINN TRAVEL" hostel adopts a "space capsule" theme, offering distinctive capsule rooms with ceilings painted to mimic a starry night sky, giving backpackers a sense of an interstellar journey. This theme has proven popular, with bookings already reaching 80% from now until April. |
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