DodoFinance Breaking News Made For You!
Due to the pandemic and the lack of tourists in New Zealand, the YHA (Youth Hostel Association New Zealand) decided yesterday to permanently close the doors of its 11 hostels on December 15. The lockdown in Auckland and the poor prospects for a rapid recovery of international travelers to New Zealand put the foundation in an untenable financial situation.
At the end of 2020, YHA completed a major restructuring to bring the organization into a recovery period slated for summer 2021/22, while continuing to maximize domestic revenue.
YHA New Zealand, which traditionally serves young international travelers such as backpackers, has doubled its number of domestic guest nights over the past 12 months by refocusing on more domestic groups and family stays. Unfortunately, this significant domestic growth was not enough to make up for the loss of international guests.
YHA’s national board and senior management have worked closely with YHA’s main lender to ensure that all prepaid bookings are fully refunded and employee rights are preserved during this time of closure.
“The staff at YHA have been amazing in amazing times,” said General Manager Simon Cartwright, “this is an ending neither of us wanted, but we want to make sure we leave in a way that ensures that our people are not left behind. “
Only the own inns close their doors
YHA has a network of 11 hostels that it manages directly; YHA Auckland International, YHA Rotorua, YHA Wellington, YHA Christchurch, YHA Lake Tekapo, YHA Aoraki Mt Cook, Wanaka, YHA Queenstown Central, YHA Queenstown Lakefront, YHA Franz Josef and YHA Te Anau. All of these hostels close on December 15th.
The 23 hostels that were operating under a YHA franchise will remain open and continue under their own names.
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