Popular Australian low-fares airline Virgin Blue has selected Irish online hostel booking company Hostelworld.com to offer backpacker and holidaying passengers a wider variety of accommodation choices.
Virgin Blue serves 21 cities around Australia as well as destinations in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Vanuatu.
Rapidly growing Hostelworld.com provides online bookings for independent hostels, youth hostels, budget accommodation centres and package tours.
The company counts more than 12,000 hostels and budget hotels among its clients in more than 165 countries worldwide.
It keeps a captive audience through the use of free podcasts, customised city guides and a travel social network.
Under the deal with Virgin Blue, Hostelworld will feature on the airline’s site to enable travellers to track upcoming hotel reservations, review cities, connect with friends, keep blogs and upload photos.
“The Australian market is one of our busiest for hostel bookings and has long been a favourite with backpackers,” explained Hostelworld.com managing director Niamh Ni Mhir.
“Young people travelling on a budget can now combine a low cost flight with Virgin Blue with low cost accommodation from Hostelworld.com in top destinations throughout Australia and the Pacific,” Ni Mhir added.
By John Kennedy
