Many of the country's youth appear to be unaware of the relatively cheap activities and facilities provided by the Kingdom's 20 hostels which include swimming pools, playgrounds, restaurants and cafés. Saudi youth have to pay only SR200 a year to subscribe to services provided by a youth hostel. The subscription covers accommodation and all recreation and entertainment services. The hostels are run by the Saudi Arabian Society for Youth Hostels, which is overseen by a board of directors. It is a non-profit society and not a commercial entity. It is the only body responsible for youth hostels all over the Kingdom and is a member of the International and Arab Federation of Youth Hostels. The role of the board of directors is to support and encourage hostel activities including getting members to visit most of the Kingdom's regions to widen the scope of their understanding of the country. Trips are also organized to Arab countries to enable the Saudi youth to interact culturally and socially with their counterparts. Abdullah Al-Rajih, Supervisor of the Jeddah Youth Hostel, said it is easy to join. “We welcome all youth over 10 years of age to subscribe to any of the 20 hostels in the Kingdom. The hostels are open around the Kingdom.” He said the hostels charge every member SR20 per day and members are only allowed to stay a maximum of 10 days after which they have to leave to ensure opportunities for other members. They are allowed to come again after five days. It should be born in mind that the hostels in the Kingdom are the cheapest in the world, said Al-Rajih. He said the members of the 4,000 youth hostels in the world are eligible to benefit from the services of any hostel in the Kingdom. Khalil Al-Jehani, who is in charge of cultural activities at the Jeddah Youth Hostel, said the hostel provides not only housing and playgrounds but also theatre plays and a library. The hostel has large well-equipped reading and theater halls where all the cultural events are held. Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi and Saleh Al-Ghamdi, who are old members of the hostel in Jeddah, were stunned by the fact that many youth know nothing about the Kingdom's hostels. They said there has been a lack of publicity regarding these hostels and facilities which include playgrounds, restaurants, cafés and swimming pools. The prices of services are nominal and affordable. They urged the youth to subscribe to the hostel to benefit from its unique services and facilities especially during the long summer vacation. It is one of the best places where the youth can spend their leisure time in useful hobbies, they added. __
