According to online budget travel provider Hostelworld.com, Americans continue to opt for the convenience and affordability of hostels more than any other country in the world. Hostelworld.com, which just wrapped up its busiest summer in history, provides bookings at more than 15,000 hostels worldwide.

The weak U.S. dollar failed to impact American backpackers, who increasingly view hostels as the logical choice for seeing the world. In the past year alone, Americans booked 3.5 million rooms through Hostelworld.com. In addition to Americans, travellers from England and Australia rounded out the top three.

“Summer has always been a busy time of year for us, but this year we have exceeded all our targets,” said Niamh N’ Mh’r, Hostelworld.com’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Overall bookings on Hostelworld.com increased from this time last year with nearly five million backpackers using the site to find accommodations so far this year.  While we have seen steady growth in all our top destinations such as London, Dublin, Barcelona and New York, other less discovered destinations such as Dubrovnik, Hong Kong, Seville, Granada and Athens are giving them a run for their money.”

Hostelworld.com saw a considerable increase in hostel bookings from many other countries, most notably Brazil and South Korea. The company has made an effort to provide budget travel options for travellers around the globe, and is now available in 22 languages, including Latvian, Russian, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

“While Americans have certainly set the pace, our record breaking summer has revealed that the entire international community realizes the cost and convenience benefits of hostels,” said Ni Mh’r. “For example, the largest percentage of growth came from South America, with Peru being the destination of choice for those travellers.  Asia also saw continued growth with booking numbers more than doubling since last year. With the Beijing Olympics just around the corner 2008, we expect further growth in China and have opened an office in Shanghai to meet this demand.”
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