Canterbury Mornings

The idea of Queenstown being an expensive destination may be out the window with hostel accommodation costs down 50 per cent for this time of year.Chairman of the NZ Hostel Association Brent Duncan told Chris Lynch on Newstalk ZB although the city has been expensive in the past, prices are quite affordable at the moment.Rooms are available for as low as $17 at the Nomads Queenstown and $23 at the Adventure Queenstown Hostel, Duncan said they usually sit at $36 for this time of year.Similar rates are being boasted by other hostels in the city."The occupancy that we've been struggling with down here is really causing a lot of competition and low rates."Duncan said they have been working hard to change the perception of hostels."We are so removed from that stereotype and that's what we are trying to change. Traditionally people think of hostels as something they would use while traveling for a long time and trying to save money but there are a lot of benefits to using the hostel system while traveling even for a