Servas International

Servas International ("we serve (peace)" in Esperanto) is a not for profit organisation for arranging homestays and hospitality. The platform is a gift economy; hosts are not allowed to charge for lodging. However, members must pay an annual membership fee to the organization on admission.

Servas International
Type of site
Non-governmental organization
FoundedJuly 1949 (July 1949) in Denmark
HeadquartersZurich
Area servedGlobal
Founder(s)Bob Luitweiler
ProductsHomestay
ServicesSocial networking service
URLwww.servas.org
Alexa rank1,036,662 (As of 10 August 2019)[1]
Users15,000 in over 100 countries[2]
A Servas local meeting in Collegno, Italy in 2016

People wishing to join SERVAS can access the website, and complete an application form and supply letters of recommendation, and be interviewed to ensure that they understand the purpose and protocol of being a Servas member, whether as a traveler or host. Members pay an annual fee to the organization, which varies according to region.[3][4] Local chapters of the organization elect representatives to handle interviews and determine membership fees.

Servas is owned by an accredited Non-governmental organization and has been affiliated with the United Nations since 1973.[4]

Servas was founded in 1949, in the aftermath of World War II, by Bob Luitweiler and other Danish students as a peace movement.[5][6]

References
  1. "Alexa Internet: Servas.org". Alexa Internet.
  2. "Servas International".
  3. Hull, Dana (July 14, 1996). "SERVAS WITH A SMILE". The Washington Post.
  4. Fardelmann, Charlotte (September 22, 1980). "Servas -- a letter of introduction to another culture". The Christian Science Monitor.
  5. Glusac, Elaine (March 13, 2017). "The Other Airbnbs: Alternative Home-Sharing Rentals". The New York Times.
  6. Glusac, Elaine (March 24, 2017). "Competition for Airbnb as other home-sharing sites target niche audiences". The Irish Times.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.