I was concerned to hear from Oja that Ljubljana would not have a hostel because the hotel owners would object to it taking away their business. This is obviously shortsighted, but I guess the hotel owners feel their empire is ‘threatened’.

I remember finding this attitude in Maui, Hawaii many years ago. The mayor of Maui was an aggressive marketer, and I think I remember him saying he did not want budget tourists because they did not spend enough money. There was only one sort-of hostel, and the only transport was for you to rent a car. In other words, he ran the island as a business and wanted to choose his customers. I dont know what Maui is like now for backpackers.

Is there anywhere else in the World that takes this unfortunate attitude?

Meanwhile Oja: write a booklet about your city and sell it, start a web site about it and get some adverts on it, and make enough money to buy a hotel and turn it into a hostel! (Well, I’m not totally serious about the whole sequence, but I’m very serious about suggesting the idea).

Peter.

Web site under development at:http://www.westwind.demon.co.uk/travel