November 6, 2012

The World Hostel Conference (WHC) is now underway in Jerusalem, with industry leaders in the growing backpacker market here to discuss cool trends in budget travel and ways of increasing income for hostels.

This is the first time the WHC meeting has been held outside of Europe or North America.

The WHC event kicked off on Monday (November 5) with a tour of the Old City. Panels and workshops on the different aspects of budget travel are on the agenda for today and tomorrow.

The conference is organized by GoMio.com and Abraham Hostel.

“This year’s conference is particularly important“, Michael Tumminia, CEO of GoMio.com, told Ynet. “There is a growing influx of backpackers discovering Israel and the Middle East, and this is a great opportunity for major players in the industry to learn from one another. We are very excited to bring the conference to this part of the world for the first time.”

“We are honored and excited to host the WHC in Israel this fall. It is another significant step in turning Israel and the Middle East to a major destination for backpackers and independent travelers from all around the world,” said Yaron Burgin, co‐owner of Abraham Hostel.