Japanese hostel wardens on tour

Press, 5 December 1989, Page 8

Japanese hostel wardens on tour

By

RICHARD CRESSWELL

A group of Japanese youthhostel wardens touring New Zealand and Australia hopes more tourists from this region will use Japanese hostels. The group’s leader and the director of a Tokyo youth hostel, Mr Kanetaro Yamamoto, said very few foreigners used Japanese hostels. “Most visitors don’t know about our hostels,” he said.

There are about 250 hostels in Japan, with 200,000 members, add overnight stays cost about $25. The six wardens are also learning about New Zealand hostels and will report back to their Youth Hostels’ Association in Japan. They will visit Akaroa, Mount Cook, Rotorua, and Auckland. The general manager for the New Zealand Youth Hostels’ Association, Mr Len West, said

the number of Japanese using hostels here had risen 50 per cent in the last year. More Japanese were starting to travel independently, he said. In Japan hostels were regarded as part of the education system and were often Government funded, providing facilities for school groups.

• Mr West said the association was concerned about the Christchurch hostels. Leases were due to expire on both the Cora

Wilding Hostel and the Rolleston Hostel.

The Cora Wilding Hostel in Richmond was less popular because of its location. .The association would have to negotiate new leases or new premises with the Christchurch City Council. The New Zealand association will officially open its new offices on the corner of Gloucester and Manchester streets on December 12.