Hostelling International (HI)has  received an Ambassador for Peace Award for its work encouraging young people to travel in order to break down cultural barriers and promote peace.

 

The non-profit organisation, which has about 3,500 hostels within 85 countries, received the accolade from the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) on the Platinum Stage at the World Travel Market in London on Tuesday  5 November.

 

HI President Edith Arnoult-Brill, who collected the award from IIPT Founder and President, Louis D'Amore, said HI's mission was to help young people learn about other cultures through travelling: "In contemporary societies, we need to improve the awareness of the younger generation that it is the respect and the understanding of cultural diversity, and the differences between people around the world that leads to a sustainable culture of peace."

 

Based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, HI runs initiatives all over the world to promote peace - from innovative social media campaigns to grassroot volunteer programmes.

 

• This year HI organised the biggest ever blogging contest. The Big Blog Exchange saw more than 1,170 entries from 72 countries and 16 finalists swapping lives and blogs.  Blogger Audur, from Iceland went to Israel, and wrote: "Israel surprised me... It reminded me that you can enjoy the company of people you don't agree with and how much you can learn from listening to their reasons and thoughts."

 

• More than 350 volunteers have taken part in a volunteer scheme in Bolivia over the past six years. Young people from Europe, the USA and Canada have supported rural villages in many ways - from construction of
  buildings to running music workshops.

 

• Each year, young people from Egypt, France, Germany, Lebanon, Tunisia and the United States gather for HI's IOU Respect international exchange programme. Through a series of engaging, fun, and challenging workshops, the two-week project bridges cultural divides and increases understanding and respect in its
  participants.

 

• In the USA, HI ran Sleep For Peace - a project where HI donated $1 for every stay on International Peace Day to a fund to help underprivileged young people experience the joy of travelling and meeting new people.

 

• Every year the South Korea volunteer programme sees 10 international and 10 Korean volunteers learning
  about Seoul and about each other's culture to promote global understanding over four weeks.

 

• HI Korea hosted the 38th World Youth Rally also, welcoming young people, aged 16 to 30, from China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Egypt and Tunisia. The 231 participants shared ideas on the theme 'Clean Earth. Global Culture'.

 

HI's hostels range from a converted plane in Stockholm to a Gothic castle in Germany, an Amazonian rainforest retreat and a Brazilian hostel with its own DJ pumping music into bedrooms.

 

More images and information available - contact Cécile Yerle (Communication Coordinator) at cyerle@hihostels.com or on +44 (0)1707 384243.

 

Information about Hostelling International (HI)

 

Hostelling International is a non-governmental, not-for profit organisation representing 71 Member Associations and six Associate Organisations all over the world.

 

With four million members, HI is one of the world's largest youth membership organisations and is the only global network of Youth Hostel Associations.

 

HI will make sure the best experience possible awaits our customers. For us it's not just about having a place to stay, it's about experiencing all that
hostelling has to offer, whether that takes the form of learning about different cultures, meeting new people or discovering yourself.

 

We work closely with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

HI supported the International decade (2001-2010) for a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world by implementing the Youth Hostelling for Peace and International Understanding (YH4PIU) campaign worldwide.

 

HI has been identified as the sixth largest provider of travel accommodation in the world.

 

All HI Member Associations committed in 2010 to the HI Sustainability Charter - the foundation of our minimum standards in all three dimensions of sustainability: social, economic and ecological.

 

HI's 2012 Annual report: www.mouse-trap.co.uk/HIAnnualReport2012/

 

Key figures:

• About 3,500 hostels within 85 countries
• 37 million overnights per year
• 500 million GBP estimated annual revenue within the HI
  network

 

Please visit our website for further information about HI www.hihostels.com, follow us on Twitter @Hostelling or visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HostellingInternational1

For press information please contact:
Rebecca O'Connor
Tel: 01707324170
Email: roconnor@hihostels.com