Hostelworld Unveils New Insights into the Solo Travel Community

·    More than half of solo travellers rank the people they meet on their trip as the most memorable aspect of solo travel.

London, UK, 12^th September 2024 - Hostelworld, the global leader in youth accommodation and social travel, today released its groundbreaking 2024 Solo Travel Report, offering a comprehensive look into the motivations, destinations, and experiences of solo travellers worldwide.

Data-Driven Insights from Millions of Trips

Based on anonymised data collected from millions of trips worldwide, Hostelworld's Solo Travel Report 2024 offers valuable insights into the demographics, preferences, and emerging behaviours of solo travellers.

Key findings include:

·    Meeting Interesting People Trumps Memorable Experiences: The report reveals that meeting interesting people (55%) is a more memorable aspect of solo travel than discovering unique experiences (38.2%).

·    Thailand's Enduring Popularity: Thailand is still the top choice for solo travellers, with its diverse attractions, vibrant culture, and range of affordable accommodation drawing in budget-conscious explorers.

·    Dream Destinations: While Japan leads as the top bucket-list destination (23.3%), solo travellers also aspire to visit other places like Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Thailand. However, Japan remains a prime choice, highlighting its unique global allure.

·    Culinary Delights and Diverse Cultural Connections: 30.9% of solo travellers prioritise food in deciding where to visit. Additionally, 45% of solo travellers seek cultural connections and opportunities for authentic and immersive experiences.

·    Youth-Led Movement: Solo travel continues to be driven by younger generations, with 68% of solo travellers under the age of thirty-one. The largest age groups are 18-24 (37.7%) and 25-30 (29.4%).

The report also looked at economic status, motivations for travel and destination choice, app usage, budgeting strategies, travel essentials and concerns.

Gary Morrison, Chief Executive Officer, Hostelworld, commented:

"Solo travel is no longer a trend; it's a lifestyle choice that reflects a growing desire for personal exploration and connection. The rise of flexible working continues to fuel this shift, allowing travellers to combine work with adventure.

Despite the prevalence of digital connections, our data indicates that solo travellers are increasingly choosing travel as a means to meet like-minded individuals to share diverse experiences in real life, both in well-known destinations and emerging hotspots.

Our report provides valuable insights into the motivations of solo travellers, and we're pleased to present this latest information which not only underscores the importance of Hostelworld's mission - to help travellers find people to hang out with - but also highlights the evolving needs of the solo travel community. By continuing to lead in delivering innovative solutions in the solo travel space, Hostelworld aims to stay ahead of this exciting movement."

Hostelworld is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive community for solo travellers. By offering a wide range of accommodation options and resources in 180 countries, Hostelworld empowers individuals to embark on unforgettable solo journeys, creating new connections and lasting memories.

For detailed information, with country-by-country breakdowns, and motivational insights from more than 3,000 solo travellers please view the full report: https://www.hostelworld.com/state-of-solo-travel

[High-resolution images available upon request]

Notes to Editors

Survey Methodology: The 2024 State of Solo Travel Report is based on data from over four million trips conducted via Hostelworld's booking platform and a survey of 5,231 travellers, including 3,428 solo travellers, conducted in May and June 2024.

About Hostelworld Group

Hostelworld Group PLC is a ground-breaking social network powered Online Travel Agent ("OTA") focused on the hostelling category, with a clear mission to help travellers find people to hang out with.

Our mission statement is founded on the insight that most travellers go hostelling to meet other people, which we facilitate through a series of social features on our platform that connect our travellers in hostels and cities based on their booking data. The strategy has been extraordinarily successful, generating significant word of mouth recommendations from our customers and strong endorsements from our hostel partners.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ireland, Hostelworld is a well-known trusted brand with almost 230 employees, hostel partners in over 180 countries, and a long-standing commitment to building a better world. To that end, our focus over the last few years has been on improving the sustainability of the hostelling industry.

Over the last two years we have commissioned independent research to validate the category's sustainability credentials, and recently introduced a hostel specific sustainability framework which encourages our hostel partners to move to even more sustainable operations and provides the data points for our customers to make more informed decisions about where they stay. In addition, our customers are now able to offset their trip's carbon emissions should they wish to do so, and we have maintained our 'Funding Climate Action' label awarded by South Pole.

For further information on Hostelworld, please contact:

presshw@hostelworld.com

Hostelworld Group plc