Hostelworld : Backpacking is Back! The World's Best Hostels for 2022 Revealed

BACKPACKING IS BACK! THE WORLD'S BEST HOSTELS FOR 2022 REVEALED

Hostelworld announces winners of its 20th annual HOSCAR awards

• • From rooftop jacuzzies to island vibes, hostels in South and Central America claim the most wins
• Home to 'The People Person' winner, Mexico is #1 destination in 2022 with +117% bookings versus 2019
• Sustainability is high priority for travellers, with hostels in Armenia and Panama awarded for their efforts
• • Travellers can stay at this year's best hostels for as little as £9.40 per night

20th June 2022: It's been an EXTRAordinary time for travel, with demand for hostels surging like never before. As travellers across the world dust off their backpacks and gear up for what could be one of the busiest travel periods to date, Hostelworld, the leading platform for hostel travel, crowns the winners of its 20th annual HOSCAR awards.

Recent booking data* shows that Central America is leading the way in travel recovery, with a 77% increase in global solo traveller bookings compared to 2019, and Mexico is ranked the top destination in 2022 as bookings surge +117% versus pre-pandemic figures. It comes as no surprise, then, that Che Tulum Hostel and Barhas been crowned 'The People Person' champion, making it the best place to go for the ultimate social travel experience. And with Hostelworld's new app 'The Solo System', you can chat with future travel friends before you even get there!

Winner of 'The Digital Nomad' award, Viajero Medellin Hostelprovides a base, and epic rooftop, for remote workers wanting to make the most of WFA(Work From Anywhere). Located in Lima's flashiest district and giving hostellers a taste of the high life, newly opened Black Llama Hostel Mirafloreshas scooped 'The New Hostel On The Block' award.

For over half (53%) of Hostelworld customers, sustainability plays a key part in deciding how and where they travel in 2022. Winner of 'The Eco-Warrior' category, Palmar Beach Lodge, Panama,stands out as a sustainable seafront retreat that rewards guests with beer for cleaning the beach. Catering to the 1 in 4 hostellers who want to give back whilst they travel, Envoy Hostel Yerevan,has been crowned the HOSCARs 'Community Champion' for a second year running. This true hostel hero has been recognised for its outstanding efforts in both supporting refugees and bringing community Christmas cheer to local children.

Fabrizio Giulio, Chief Supply Officer at Hostelworld, said: "2022 not only marks a strong return to hostel travel, but 20 years of celebrating the world's best hostels with our HOSCAR awards. This year's winners are a true reflection of the extraordinary work of our hostel partners across a range of categories including sustainability, community, social atmosphere, digital nomad and best new experiences.

From Armenia to Panama, the HOSCAR winners have welcomed a new wave of eco-conscious travellers whilst offering an accommodation experience that goes way beyond just being a place to sleep. Hostels are inherently social by nature and have a smaller carbon footprint than other accommodation types due to the shared nature of dorms, so it's great to see them full of travellers looking to meet each other again. 2022 is going to be the year for solo travel as bookings to Central America and North America already break 2019 records. And there's officially no better place to have a social travel experience now that we've launched our new app The Solo System, which allows travellers to chat to each other before they even get to their destination."

The shortlists for each category were chosen by a judging panel featuring experts from The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative(GTPI), The Global Sustainable Tourism Council(GSTC), G Adventures,Qatar Airways Student

Club,World Nomads,The Broke Backpacker,Hostelgeeksand content creators Kendra Okereke(@ken10hollywood)and Nolan Saumur(@sealontour). Full bio details for judges can be foundhere.

Hostelworld's 2022 HOSCAR winners:

The People Person-Che Tulum Hostel and Bar, Tulum, Mexico

• Price*: Dorms from £14.41 per night
• Rating: 9.0
• About: If you're looking for a great social travel experience, head to Che Tulum Hostel & Bar to make new friends, try new things and have a lot of fun whilst doing it. The excellent staff make it their mission to ensure every guest is in the loop for organised activities. From karaoke to beer pong, all- you-can-eat feasts to beach excursions, there's no better place to bring out your inner social traveller.

The Eco-Warrior-Palmar Beach Lodge, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

• Price: Dorms from £27.94 per night
• Rating: 8.8
• About: For the eco-conscious looking for some Caribbean calm, Palmar Beach Lodge is a beachfront, sustainable haven in Panama. Powered by 100% renewable energy and using only filtered rainwater, its commitment to using local produce and contributing to community projects makes it the perfect place for some green R&R. Beers and a beach clean-up, anyone?

The Community Champion-Envoy Hostel Yerevan, Armenia

• Price: Dorms from £9.40 per night
• Rating: 9.4
• About: This year it's a double whammy for Envoy Hostel Yerevan, as our 2021 winner takes the top spot once again! Last year they opened their doors to refugees in need, and this year they're being recognised for their efforts to raise funds to rebuild homes lost in the ongoing Armenia/Azerbaijan conflict. They've even provided a little Christmas cheer to children in need.

The New Hostel on the Block-Black Llama Hostel Miraflores, Peru

• Price: Dorms from £9.58 per night
• Rating: 9.0
• About: Based in Lima's flashiest district, Black Llama serves up a cultural cocktail for boujee travellers on a budget. From weekly chef cookouts to concerts from local artists at the rooftop bar, this new hostel is the place to see and be seen.

The Digital Nomad-Viajero Medellin Hostel, Colombia

• Price: Dorms from £12.04 per night
• Rating: 9.1
• About: Located in Colombia's most vibrant city, Viajero Medellin Hostel provides the perfect base for remote workers wanting to make the most of their work/life balance. With a co-working space on the ground floor, a rooftop jacuzzi and a street-style restaurant in the middle, there's no shortage of areas to keep digital nomads comfortable and inspired.

The Runner-Up HOSCAR winners are:

The People Person:Lagarto na Banana Hostel, Pipa, Brazil

The Eco-Warrior:Madama Hostel and Bistro, Milan, Italy

The Community Champion:Pfefferbett Hostel, Berlin, Germany

The New Hostel on the Block: YellowSquare, Milan, Italy

The Digital Nomad:YellowSquare, Rome, Italy

Notes to editors

The HOSCARs (Hostelworld Customer Annual Ratings) have been running since 2002, and prior to 2020 were based on global customer reviews. During the global pandemic, the award system was updated to reflect the extraordinary times and was temporarily changed to be based on a public vote for the 25 shortlisted hostels within 5 categories. Shortlisted winners were selected by an expert judging panel from 454 entrants. Full details on the independent judging panel can be found here.

Hostelworld trends are based on global booking data made between November 2021 and March 2022, versus pre-pandemic figures. Hostelworld commissioned the Sustainability and Trip Planning survey which surveyed 7,000 people across 10 countries including The UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Germany and Australia in March 2022.

Dorm prices based on travel in August 2022.

For more information, please contact: [e-mail]

About Hostelworld

Hostelworld is the leading Online Travel Agent focused on the hostelling category, with a well-known trusted brand, 13.7M reviews and a loyal customer base built up over 22 years. Our core business provides our customers with hostel accommodation options in over 180 countries worldwide via our website and native app platforms in 19 languages, as well as hostel focused small group adventure trips (Roamies). In parallel to helping millions of hostel focused travellers Meet The World, we are committed to building a better world in everything we do. In 2020 we became the first OTA signatory of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), led by the UN Environment Programme and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); and latterly became a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) in January 2022.