The budget travel market appears less susceptible to the recession than other sectors, according to research from the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation. David Jones, director general of the WYSE Travel Confederation, said his organisation’s research showed only 12% of budget travellers will reduce their travel budgets because of the slowing economy. Only 16% said the economic climate would change their plans.

The research showed there was some economic concern among hostel owners but indicated the industry certainly appears to be less susceptible to the worldwide economic crisis than other sectors. The findings were presented to the annual conference of Hostelworld in Dublin, which was dominated by the effects of the economy.

Feargal Mooney, Hostelworld.com chief executive, said: "Research presented at this conference, along with the many lively discussions that took place, confirms that the hostel industry is well suited to thrive in this kind of climate. We collectively offer value at a time when it is needed most."

Delegates were advised to focus more on promoting the value and facilities their hostels offer, as customers are willing to pay slightly higher prices for better amenities, location and service.

Budget travellers are also among the most web-savvy and are likely to react well to social media strategies on social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Ciaran Norris, SEO & social media director of Altogether Digital, said more than 133m blogs have been created since 2002, and 800m photos are uploaded to Facebook every month. Mooney added: "Successful hostel owners have already tapped into affordable and highly effective online marketing channels. Hostel customers are intelligent, educated and savvy consumers."