Qatar to Host 54th International Youth Hostel Federation Conference in September

Qatar

The State of Qatar, represented by the Qatar Youth Hostels, will host on Thursday, Sept. 1st, 2022 the 54th International Youth Hostel Federation Conference, which will last five days, with the participation of delegations from more than 30 countries around the world.

This conference coincides with the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Federation, as the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) was created in 1932 to unite hostels around the world. The Federation is one of the largest youth organizations in the world and operates under the umbrella of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is spread in 74 countries around the world, and includes more than 4,000 homes around the world.

Head of Activities Department at Qatar Youth Hostels and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference Abdullah Saeed said, in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the 54th International Youth Hostel Federation Conference affirms the leadership of the State of Qatar in hosting major international events, as well as the leadership of Qatari youth and their ability to organize and innovate in various international forums.

He pointed out that this hosting came as a result of Qatar Youth Hostels winning the hosting of the 54th Conference during the 52nd International Conference in Iceland in 2018, where Qatari youth hostels obtained the majority of votes at that time after submitting a file supported by various state institutions, especially the Ministry of Sports and Youth which was keen to support Qatari youth hostels and their youth cadres, to be eligible to host this important international event and to make Qatar the first Gulf country and the second Arab country to host this conference throughout its history, as it is held every two years.

He explained that the conference, in which a group of youth hostels experts from around the world will participate, will discuss, over five days, a set of topics related to the global youth hostel movement and youth tourism in particular, and the introduction of new strategies for youth hostels to be adopted during the conference, in addition to presenting many international experiences and proposals by members of associations and organizations that are members of the International Youth Hostel Federation, to enhance their use in this field.

The conference will also witness the election of a new Board of Trustees for the Federation, the election of the country that will host the next edition of the conference as well as reviewing the current report of the Board of Trustees and the achievements and developments of the International Youth Hostel Federation, the financial reports and accounts for the previous period will also be approved and study the financial plan for the next five years.

Saeed pointed out that Qatar youth hostels will push one of its cadres to compete for membership in the International Youth Hostel Federation Council. Financial Director of Qatar Youth Hostels Hussain Ali Al Hababi will run for office in the elections scheduled during the conference, as his file was submitted to be a representative of the Gulf and Arab countries, to ensure that the voice of the Arab countries reached the Federation and a strong campaign was prepared to win the confidence of the representatives of the different countries. 

In his statement to QNA, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the International Youth Hostel Federation Conference Abdullah Saeed added that Qatari youth hostels have worked on preparing for this conference since its success in winning its organization in 2018, and an ambitious plan was drawn up in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, in addition to the need to promote Qatar as a tourist destination on the map of global tourism, especially for youth, and for this reason, many initiatives were put forward that contribute to the success of this conference, most notably holding courses in tourism guidance for a large number of young people.

This includes the 'Discover Qatar in 144 Hours' initiative to promote tourism and introduce Qatar as a unique tourist destination and the 'Kashta' program, both on land and at sea, where these initiatives will be presented on the dialogue table during the conference to be used internationally, especially after such initiatives succeeded in reaching their goals, such as the tourism guidance program, which contributed to the qualification of a large number of young men and women in Qatar to be fully responsible for guiding tourist delegations inside the State of Qatar, whether during this conference or during the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, he added.

He said that the Qatar Youth Hostels Association will witness the participation of tour guides and youth volunteers to organize tours for the participants in various regions of the country, including land trips to introduce Qatari heritage, cruises, the traditional Qatari port to introduce part of Qatar's maritime heritage and a special visit to one of Qatars World Cup stadiums to promote and introduce Qatars preparations for the major tournament.

Saeed stressed that the young volunteers who applied to participate in the conference's work, events and foreign tours will have their role in making the conference a success, considering that the conference is a practical mini-training to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

He added that the youth hostels during the coming period will be within the general context and the system of state institutions, where all efforts are combined, each in their respective fields, to present an exceptional version of the World Cup in Qatar. The role of youth hostels in promoting and introducing Qatars tourist destinations will introduce visitors to the various tourist, heritage and cultural places in various parts of the country, and to achieve these tasks, training courses will be organized to represent Qatari youth, starting with receiving delegations and organizing tours for them, he noted.

Saeed stressed that the Qatari youth hostels - which have moved to a new headquarters in the Al-Sadd area - and due to their good international reputation, have been chosen by FIFA to be the headquarters for FIFA volunteers from different countries of the world, and that their remaining reservations are almost completed in various countries due to its prices that suit young people.

Qatar Youth Hostels Association participated in the 27th conference of the Arab Union of Youth Hostels Associations, which recently hosted the city of Ismailia, Egypt, with the participation of 13 Arab organizations. The importance of Qatari participation in this conference was due to the topics that were raised on the discussion table, including Qatars hosting of the 54th conference of the International Youth Hostel Federation Conference.

(QNA)