Care homes under threat as family visa crackdown blocks 100,000 staff

A government crackdown on visas for overseas workers could put overstretched care homes under threat of closure, with tens of thousands fewer staff coming to the UK, The Independent can reveal.

Applications for Britain’s health and care worker visa are at a record low after care workers were prevented from bringing children and other dependants with them in a bid to curb climbing migration numbers.

Between April 2023 to March 2024, when the new rules came in, there were 129,000 applicants, but that plummeted to just 26,000 in the year to March 2025, according to government figures.

The revelation comes as care homes struggle to retain staff, with more than 100,000 vacancies across England last year – a rate of 8 per cent and three times the national average.

Age UK warned that overseas recruits were “keeping many services afloat” and some care homes could be forced to shut if they could not find alternatives, piling more pressure on NHS hospitals.

And the crisis looks set to get even worse as new rules, brought in by the Labour government in March 2025, mean overseas workers will only get a visa if they earn over £25,000 a year. This will impact healthcare assistants, who support nurses by carrying out clinical tasks such as blood tests, 13 per cent of whom are from overseas.

Vicky Haines, managing director of care home provider Kingsway Care, accused the government of “making recruitment decisions they are unqualified to do” and warned that without major reforms, the sector will continue to “buckle under pressure”.

And she said international displaced workers, who were already in the UK but had had their employee sponsorship revoked, were not the only answer.

“To suggest the pool of displaced workers already in the UK is the ultimate solution for all care providers is extremely short-sighted,” she told The Independent. “The care sector is being punished for governmental failings.

“The Home Office should be held accountable for a poorly considered visa application process, with an outright lack of necessary checks and balances at the point of entry, resulting in the high number of displaced workers.

“Care providers remain committed to delivering safe, dignified, and compassionate care, but we cannot do it alone.”

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: “It is widely agreed that social care staff coming here from abroad have kept many services afloat over the last few years, when otherwise they would have struggled because of too many vacancies.

“If it proves impossible to recruit and retain enough staff, services sometimes even have to close, causing huge disruption and distress to existing clients… All this spells bad news for the NHS, our hospitals especially, which will often end up picking up the pieces if social care services are inadequate in a local area, since if older people don’t get the care and support they need, their health is put at risk.”

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, told The Independent that curbs on visas make it harder for care services to recruit staff when demand is only growing.

“After years of severe staff shortages and more than 100,000 vacancies today across trusts in England, measures that put off qualified people from overseas coming to the NHS are a worry,” she said.

A report from Skills for Care, which collects employment data for social care providers, said that in April to June last year an estimated 8,000 international recruits were joining the independent sector in England – down from an average of 26,000 per quarter the year before.

And Nuffield Trust researcher Nina Hemmings told The Independent that March 2025 saw the lowest number of monthly applicants to UK’s health and care worker scheme since the data was first published and had decreased by 70 per cent since March 2024.

“The social care sector relies on skilled overseas workers to fill posts, stabilise services, and deliver care and support to the people who need it. There has not been a proper assessment by the government of how sudden changes to immigration rules will impact services and people who draw on care,” she said.

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, told The Independent: “During our inquiry [into the sector], we have heard that amongst the many problems plaguing the care system and providers are the workforce issues of recruitment and retention, which we learned have led to a very high vacancy rate of over 8 per cent, three times the national average.

“Against this context, news that the number of applicants for skilled worker and health and care visas to the UK has dropped is a cause for serious concern.”

And Martin Green, chief executive for Care England, which represents care home across the UK said the government’s changes were having a “significant impact” on overseas recruitment “but they have not got a strategic and coherent approach to developing the UK workforce”.

A government spokesperson for the Home Office said it recognised the contribution care workers from overseas make to the NHS and social care services, but insisted net migration “must come down”.

“This month, new rules requiring care providers to prioritise international care workers who are already in England came into force, which will get people back to work, reduce our reliance on further overseas recruitment, and make sure our social care sector has the care professionals it needs,” they said.

Tory MPs to meet to discuss ousting Kemi Badenoch as leader

Tory MPs will hold meetings this week to discuss how to remove their leader, Kemi Badenoch, as panic grows over the future of the party following Reform’s success in the local elections.

Two senior backbenchers have confirmed to The Independent that they are calling meetings with fellow parliamentarians to discuss ousting the Conservative Party leader.

“We cannot continue as we are and she [Ms Badenoch] is just not up to the task,” one of the MPs said.

The moves come after the Tories lost 15 councils and 674 seats last week in devastating results which put the future of the party at risk. At the same time, Nigel Farage declared his party has now taken the place of the Conservatives as the main opposition to Labour as it won 676 seats and overall control of 10 councils.

One Conservative MP said: “These results were actually worse than last year’s general election. We have somehow gone backwards.”

It is understood that a number of Tories have also contacted Robert Jenrick to stand again for the leadership just six months after he failed in his first attempt. While some of those plotting were his supporters it is being claimed that the discussions on Ms Badenoch’s future “go beyond the usual suspects”.

There are claims that former foreign secretary Sir James Cleverly is also positioning himself for a potential leadership contest as a centrist alternative to the right-wing Mr Jenrick.

Over the weekend, Sir James told GB News that Ms Badenoch “knows she has my full support” but said he could “rule nothing out and nothing in” regarding a potential leadership bid should there be a vacancy.

Critics of Ms Badenoch in the parliamentary party have spoken of their frustration over a lack of a strategy to deal with Reform.

In particular an attempt to get her support for an anti-Reform attack unit, with the help of former allies of Mr Farage from Ukip and the Brexit Party who have joined the Tories, fell on deaf ears despite support from grandee Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash.

One senior backbencher said: “I feel like I have been banging my head against a brick wall trying to find out what the strategy is to take on Farage and Reform. There has been nothing.”

Mr Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, noticeably posted on X how all the Tory council candidates in his Newark seat had won on a day which saw hundreds of Tory councillors lose their seats.

He spent the weekend doing party fundraisers in different parts of the country.

Pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common suggested that the Tories have 12 months to turn things around.

But one MP said: “If we give Kemi another year it could be curtains for us. There are no policies, no ideas, no strategy and she has no charisma.”

MPs are calculating that once safe seats in East Anglia, Essex, Kent and across the south of England and shires would fall based on last week’s results.

There are also complaints about her choice of senior staff, especially ex-MPs like Rachel MacLean and Therese Coffey.

“They just don’t seem to understand the trouble we are in,” another MP said.

However, Tory MPs also are concerned that the updated rules meaning a third of them (currently 41 MPs) are needed to trigger a vote of confidence with letters to the 1922 Committee chair Bob Blackman.

While MPs are not putting their names on the record calling for Ms Badenoch to go yet, other Conservatives have.

Jason Smithers, the former Tory leader of North Northamptonshire Council, called for Ms Badenoch to go following the results, saying: “I can’t see how a leader of a party can stay on with such terrible results across the country.”

Phillip Blond, director of the ResPublica think tank and a former adviser to David Cameron, has also called for Ms Badenoch to go.

He posted on X (Twitter): “Our leadership post the GE has been astoundingly poor. All Badenoch has offered is inertia and inaction. She has allowed Reform to establish bulwarks on her flank that now look unbreachable,” adding, “Regrettably we do need a new leader, and this surely can only be Robert Jenrick. Reform can be challenged, but not under Badenoch. The alternative is doing nothing and becoming nothing.”

But Ms Badenoch has made it clear she intends to go nowhere.

Ms Badenoch told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg the idea that changing leaders can bring success is wrong, arguing that her party’s current predicament isn’t “going to be fixed after six months”. She added: “This is not about winning elections; this is about fixing our country.”

However, Ms Badenoch’s BBC interview appears to have made MPs more anxious.

One senior MP said: “She is talking as though we have lots of time to turn things around. We do not. It may even be too late already.

“She has left a huge space for Nigel Farage to fill.”

Shadow cabinet members are trying to calm nerves, telling Tory MPs not to try to move against Ms Badenoch, arguing she “needs time”.

Two riders dead after 11-man crash at British Superbikes Championship

Two riders have died after a “catastrophic” crash at the British Superbikes race, which left another with significant injuries.

A total of 11 bikers were involved in the crash on the first corner of Oulton Park in Cheshire, prompting the race to be immediately stopped and medical services deployed, organisers said.

Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29, both passed away after the horror crash.

Mr Jenner was treated trackside and taken to the medical centre, but died from a catastrophic head injury despite resuscitation attempts. Mr Richardson was transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital with severe injuries, but died before arriving.

Cheshire Police are now investigating the deaths which took place early on in the race, after they were called to the scene on Monday.

“Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled,” organisers added.

Tom Tunstall, 47, was taken to hospital with significant back and abdominal injuries, organisers added.

Five other riders were transferred to the medical centre with minor injuries and did not need to be taken to hospital.

The superbikes average more than 180bhp and are capable of reaching 200mph, organisers say.

Mr Jenner became the 2024 British GP2 champion and was signed to Rapid Honda.

The British superbike team said the rider is from Crowborough, East Sussex, and won the GP2 title with 18 wins out of 20 race finishes.

It added: “Owen has impressed us all at Rapid Honda over recent seasons and his career is on a clear ascendancy.

“He should be a title challenger in British Supersport in 2025.”

New Zealand superbike racer Mr Richardson was in the Astro JJR HIPPO Suzuki team sponsored by Hippo waste removal service.

Hippo announced it had renewed its partnership with Mr Richardson in April this year and published a statement from the rider who they said had transitioned from “crafting bespoke kitchens to competing on the UK’s premier racing circuits”.

Describing his 2024 season, Mr Richardson said: “We had some good moments along the way, but also our fair share of struggles… but I’m proud of how the Astro JJR HIPPO Suzuki team and I worked throughout the season to make the most of every moment”.

Cheshire Police said: “Police are investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner following a multiple collision at Oulton Park this afternoon.

“Emergency services were called to the scene following the collision which resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another with serious injuries.

“Due to the severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the event was cancelled.

“The two riders who sadly died have been named as Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29.

“The Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing are investigating the full circumstances of the incident in conjunction with the Coroner and Cheshire Police.”

Trump passes the buck on AI Pope image and claims Catholics ‘loved it’

Donald Trump said he does not know who created the now-infamous AI image of him as the Pope but insisted that “Catholics love it,” despite widespread outrage both at home and abroad.

The president said that those that were offended by the image couldn’t “take a joke” and that his wife – First Lady Melania Trump – thought the image was “cute.”

In the image – which was shared by the official accounts of both the president and the White House – an unsmiling Trump is seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with his right forefinger raised.

At a White House briefing on Monday, the president was challenged over it image by Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, who claimed some Catholics were “not happy” about it.

“You mean they can’t take a joke?” he replied. “You don’t mean the Catholics You mean the fake news. The Catholics loved it. I had nothing to do with it. Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope and they put it out on the internet – that’s not me that did it.”

Contrary to his claim, the Catholic Bishops of New York State previously expressed their clear displeasure at the AI image. “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr President,” they wrote on X.

“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St Peter. Do not mock us.”

Even New York cardinal Timothy Dolan, who Trump endorsed as a “very good” candidate for the next Holy Father, said that the stunt “wasn’t good.” When asked by reporters about his thoughts on the post, Dolan replied that he hoped Trump “didn’t have anything to do with that.”

Back in the White House, Trump insisted that he had not.

“I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI,” he said. “But I know nothing about it. I just saw it the last evening. Actually My wife thought it was cute. ‘Ha ha’ she said, ‘Isn’t that nice’.”

“I would not be able to be married though … to the best of my knowledge popes aren’t big on getting married are they? Not that we know of no. I think it’s the fake news media, they’re fakers.”

When pushed on the fact that the “meme” had been shared by the official White House account, and whether this “diminished the substance” of the account, Trump replied “Oh give me a break,” before moving on.

India orders nationwide drills to test preparations for an attack

The Indian government will on Wednesday conduct a nationwide civil defence drill to test preparation for an attack on its territory as military tension soared at its border with Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror strike in Kashmir.

It would be the largest civil defence drill in India since 1971, the year India and Pakistan went to war that led to the formation of Bangladesh.

The home ministry has ordered several states and federal territories to conduct mock drills to test air raid warning sirens, evacuation plans, implement crash blackout measures, and training people to respond in case of any attacks, according to Indian media reports.

A source in the home ministry who requested anonymity told Reuters that the drills are to ensure civil preparedness, but did not mention Pakistan or the Kashmir attack.

It comes after a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 people on 22 April in one of the worst attacks in the region on tourists. New Delhi has called it an act of terrorism and blamed Pakistan, which has denied involvement, downgrading diplomatic and bilateral ties with Islamabad since then.

The attack has raised fears of an armed conflict between the two rival countries, with allies and the UN calling for restraint from both sides.

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and information minister Attaullah Tarar have raised the alarm over “imminent” attack from India, warning that any action would be met with a strong response.

The announcement of the drills came after prime minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with top defence officials, including national security advisor Ajit Doval, defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, and Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the relationship between India and Pakistan has reached “a boiling point” with tensions reaching the “highest in years”.

“It is also essential – especially at this critical hour – to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,” he said.

“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink,” he added.

On Monday, Pakistan carried out its second missile test in just three days since the Kashmir attack, testing a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120km (75 miles).

The Fateh series missile was tested two days after it claimed a successful launch of the Abdali surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 450km.

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said the successful test launch “made it clear that Pakistan’s defence is in strong hands”.

It comes as the situation remains volatile at the Line of Actual Control, the 740km frontier separating the Indian and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir. Cross-border firing has continued from both sides for the 11th straight night since the ceasefire reached in February 2021 broke down amid the tensions.

A week after the latest attack, Delhi responded swiftly with a series of retaliatory measures against Pakistan. India shut down the main border crossing with Pakistan, suspended a crucial water-sharing agreement, expelled Pakistani diplomats, and halted most visa services for Pakistani nationals – who were given only a few days to leave the country.

India also banned all Pakistani aircraft – both commercial and military – from its airspace, mirroring a similar move by Islamabad.

In response, Pakistan suspended its own visa services and suspended a key 1972 peace agreement with India. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of decades of hostilities between India and Pakistan which both claim the Muslim majority region in whole but control it only in part. The two countries have fought two of the three full-scale wars over the region.

India has accused its neighbour of supporting Islamist separatists battling security forces in its part of the region. Pakistan says it only provides diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris seeking self-determination.

Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Mr Modi on Monday, “strongly condemned” the Kashmir attack and offered full support to India in its “fight against terrorism”, the Indian foreign ministry said.

“Both sides underscored the need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its manifestations,” the Russian embassy in New Delhi said on X.

The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss the escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan.

The meeting was called by Pakistan to “formally apprise” the UNSC of the situation and call upon it “to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security by taking appropriate measures”.

Why this Mediterranean region is perfect for a Summer escape

Summertime in Dalmatia: lazy days swimming in sparkling waters and feeling the salt dry on your skin, feasting on freshly grilled fish in a rustic beach bar while watching the sun set over the Adriatic, losing yourself in centuries of history surrounded by intense beauty – it’s the stuff of dreams. But oh so easy to turn into reality. Between Dalmatia’s stretch of the Croatian coast and the enchanting islands just a ferry ride away, you have everything you need for a relaxing and rejuvenating summer break. Choose between laid-back islands with quiet coves to lively beach resorts offering watersports and entertainment – all of which you can fit into the same trip. To get you inspired, here are some of the highlights of a Dalmatian holiday.

Croatia’s sunniest island is also the country’s most visited, which isn’t surprising when you first set eyes on Hvar Town. Step into St Stephen’s Square, the largest in Dalmatia, and take in the baroque beauty of its cathedral. Follow the path uphill to the 16th-century Spanish Fortress for fantastic views before checking out Hvar Town’s chic beach clubs. Away from the island capital, Stari Grad offers a slower pace of life, despite being on a major ferry route from Split. Once you’ve explored its colourful port, take a hike in neighbouring Stari Grad Plain, a UNESCO-listed site, where you can still see the vineyards and olive groves planted by the ancient Greeks nearly 2,400 years ago.

Surrounded by mesmerising blue-green waters, the smooth white pebbles of V-shaped Zlatni Rat on Brač’s southern coast create Croatia’s most famous beach. Its unique geography draws windsurfing fans from around the world to the pretty nearby village of Bol as they zoom across these waters. Bol is also a handy base for hikes up to Vidova Gora, the highest point in Dalmatia and worth the visit for far-reaching views. Head to the northern coast for picturesque villages such as Pučišća, whose stonemasonry school is the oldest in Europe and continues a centuries-old tradition. When you explore the hinterland, you’ll be tempted to stop by rural restaurants that serve authentic Dalmatian cuisine featuring produce from their own farms and olive groves.

Off limits to tourists until 1989 while it served as an army base, the far-flung island of Vis has been slow to catch up on Croatia’s tourism boom – which suits everyone just fine. The long Venetian-style waterfront of Vis Town will look familiar to fans of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which was filmed here. The island’s other main village, Komiža, is a delightfully laid-back spot from where you can join boat trips to the jaw-dropping natural phenomenon that is the Blue Cave on the tiny neighbouring island of Biševo. There’s more awe in store when you make the rocky trek down to Stiniva Bay on the southern coast, where the pebbly beach is almost entirely encircled by towering cliffs.

Just across the sea from Split but curiously off most tourists’ radar, Šolta is one of Dalmatia’s lesser-known jewels. Sailors will have moored in its deeply sheltered coves such as Šešula Bay, as well as its attractive villages Maslinica and Stomorska, which bookend the island and give an enticing slice of Dalmatian life. In between you’ll see acres and acres of olive groves that produce award-winning liquid gold – a delicious companion for Šolta’s indigenous robust red wine. Explore Šolta’s heavily indented southern coast if you want true serenity while swimming in secluded pebbly coves backed by fragrant pine-covered hills.

For nearly 40 miles, the Makarska Riviera south of Split offers one alluring beach resort after another – Brela, Tučepi, Baška Voda, Podgora, Drvenik, Gradac and Makarska itself – all in the shadow of the impressive Biokovo Mountains. The sheer variety of beaches and resorts is extraordinary, including the beautiful Punta Rata Beach in Brela and peaceful Nugal Beach just south of Makarska. Follow the long seafront promenade to Baška Voda’s family-friendly beaches including the outstanding Nikolina Beach. And above it all are the hiking trails in Biokovo Nature Park, including the hair-raising Biokovo Skywalk, whose D-shaped glass floor hovers over the cliff and gives you an unforgettable thrill – rather like summer in Dalmatia itself.

For more travel inspiration, information and to plan your trip visit Central Dalmatia

Erin Patterson ‘was very reluctant’ for fatal mushroom lunch guests to look in pantry, trial hears

The only surviving member of the fatal mushroom lunch that Erin Patterson served her guests in July 2023 told the court that the accused was “very reluctant” for her guests to see the pantry.

Ian Wilkinson told the court that when the guests arrived at Ms Patterson’s home, they were led into the open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge area.

“There was general conversation. How are you, and that sort of thing,” he said. “Then we started conversing about the house.”

During the conversation, Ms Patterson mentioned there was a pantry behind the wall in the kitchen area.

“Heather was very interested in pantries at that time, because we’d just built one at home,” Mr Wilkinson told the court on Tuesday.

“Whenever we went to somebody’s house where they said we have a pantry, she wanted to look at it because she wanted to get ideas for setting up her pantry.

“So on hearing about the pantry, she just immediately started walking towards it, calling out: ‘Can I have a look at your pantry?’”

“I’d noticed that Erin was very reluctant about the visit to the pantry, and had not yet started following [Heather and Gail],” Mr Wilkinson said.

“And so I thought, maybe the pantry is a mess. It’s going to be an embarrassment. So I won’t add to the embarrassment by joining the party.”

Mr Wilkinson became seriously ill after the meal in July 2023, which claimed the lives of his wife, Heather, and two other family members, Don and Gail.

Ms Patterson, 50, is on trial for serving a meal laced with deadly mushrooms that killed the relatives of her former husband and left Mr Wilkinson critically ill.

Prosecutors allege that she fabricated a cancer diagnosis to lure her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s parents and his uncle and aunt to lunch at her home in July 2023 and poisoned their food. They claim Ms Patterson then disposed of a dehydrator containing traces of the toxic mushrooms at a rubbish site.

Ms Patterson, who is from Victoria, denies the charges of murder and attempted murder brought against her.

She insists the poisoning was a tragic accident.

Mr Wilkinson said he and his wife were close with Don and Gail Patterson, seeing them around three times a week. He described his relationship with Ms Patterson as friendly and amicable.

He said Ms Patterson “seemed like a normal person”.

“As I said, when we met, things were friendly,” he said, adding that they never had any arguments or disputes.

“Seemed like an ordinary person. I don’t know how to describe it,” he said.

Mr Wilkinson told the court he wasn’t at church when Ms Patterson invited his wife Heather to lunch on 29 July 2023, but that Heather was excited about it.

They weren’t given a reason for the invitation and wondered why it had come about, he said. “There was no reason given for the lunch, and I remember talking to Heather, wondering why suddenly [there had been an] invitation,” he says.

They hoped the lunch might help improve their relationship with Ms Patterson. Mr Wilkinson also said they later learned Don Patterson and Gail Patterson – Ms Patterson’s estranged in-laws – and her former husband Simon had been invited too.

“I think Heather had some conversation with either Don or Gail, and we became aware that they had also been invited. And that Simon, too, was invited,” he says.

At the lunch, Mr Wilkinson said that Ms Patterson said she had some medical news. “She believed it was very serious, life-threatening,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“She was anxious about telling the kids. She was asking our advice about that.

“That moment I thought: ‘This is the reason we’re being invited to the lunch’.”

The conversation ended, the jury heard, when the guests saw Ms Patterson’s son and his friend arriving at the house through a window.

“I suggested that we pray, and I prayed a prayer, asking God’s blessing on Erin that she’ll get the treatment that she needed, that the kids would be OK, but she’d have wisdom in how she told the kids. Then the prayer concluded as the boys arrived in the room,” Mr Wilkinson told the court.

On Monday, three of Ms Patterson’s online friends from a true crime Facebook group told the jury she had a reputation as a “super sleuth”.

They also said she spoke about her love of mushrooms, her excitement over buying a dehydrator, and had sought advice on preparing a beef Wellington in the weeks leading up to the lunch.

The travel trend that could make the price of a hotel room cheaper

A surge in solo travellers, particularly those flocking to affordable hostels in Asia, is reshaping the travel industry, according to Hostelworld’s CEO Gary Morrison.

The industry has historically focused on couples, often overlooking the needs and desires of individual adventurers, he said.

The shift is fuelled by a rise in “solo by circumstance” travel, where individuals find themselves alone due to life changes like relocation or relationship breakups, rather than a deliberate choice to travel solo, he said.

“To a large extent, the travel industry has been kind of closed off to solo travellers and it doesn’t really cater to them,” Mr Morrison said.

“Every single hotel room is for two people.

“I think, in the longer term, other parts of the travel industry will start catering to solo travellers – which is, to stop charging them for two-person rooms.”

Hostelworld, which is a platform for hostels around the world, has been involved in the social side of travel through its chat room app which launched after the Covid pandemic.

It works by connecting people who have booked into hostels in a particular destination, allowing them to co-ordinate plans or find like-minded people staying in the same place.

Bookings data from the platform show the proportion of solo travellers had risen from 57 per cent in 2021 to 63 per cent in 2024.

Furthermore, young female backpackers have become the fastest-growing group, spurred on by increasing opportunities to group up with others or enhanced safety measures including the availability of female-only hostel dormitories.

Mr Morrison said the “vast majority” of European travellers were going to Asia, particularly Thailand, because of the appeal of cheaper hostel rooms and living expenses.

He admitted that the shift “obviously hurts revenues” for Hostelworld, which last month said its average booking values had dropped from €14.36 (£12.26) in 2023 to €13.21 (£11.28) in 2024.

Mr Morrison said the company had set its sights on creating the “world’s largest travel network”.

It does not make money from people using the chat function, but the engagement is seen as driving bookings as people recommend hostel stays, or even make cheap bookings in order to access the feature.