 | |
Type of site | Non-governmental organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 1949 in Denmark |
| Headquarters | Zurich |
| Area served | Global |
| Founder(s) | Bob Luitweiler |
| Products | Homestay |
| Services | Social networking service |
| URL | www |
| Users | 15,000 in over 100 countries[1] |
| Part of a series on |
| Homestays |
|---|
| Hospitality exchange services |
| Hospitality for work |
| Hospitality for money |
| Home exchange and others |
Servas International ("we serve (peace)" in Esperanto) is a non-profit organization proving a hospitality exchange service.
Servas is a nonprofit member organization that builds peace and cross-cultural understanding through day visits or overnight home stays among members who share information about themselves, to help ensure accountability. It was founded in 1949,[2] in the aftermath of World War II, by Bob Luitweiler and other Danish students as an international network for people to meet and where suitable, to be offered a short stay, as part of the peace movement.[3][4]
The organisation may now be described as a platform, part of a gift economy. Members can be both hosts and travellers, and hosts do not charge for lodging.
Members pay an annual fee to the organization, which is determined locally by country.[5][6] There is an international executive and each country has an elected board or committee to manage membership (including interviews for new applicants), determine membership fees, organise social events, support various peace-related activities. .
Servas is owned by an accredited Non-governmental organization and has been affiliated with the United Nations since 1973.[6]
- ^ "Servas International".
- ^ "How Sleeping On A Stranger's Couch Became A Moral Dilemma For Travelers". buzzfeednews.com. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Glusac, Elaine (March 13, 2017). "The Other Airbnbs: Alternative Home-Sharing Rentals". The New York Times.
- ^ Glusac, Elaine (March 24, 2017). "Competition for Airbnb as other home-sharing sites target niche audiences". The Irish Times.
- ^ Hull, Dana (July 14, 1996). "SERVAS WITH A SMILE". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Fardelmann, Charlotte (September 22, 1980). "Servas -- a letter of introduction to another culture". The Christian Science Monitor.