A SCHEME to provide new bunkhouses, camping barns, guesthouses and backpacker hostels by the Youth Hostels Association may lead to new affordable overnight accommodation on Dartmoor.

YHA is launching YHA Enterprise ? an initiative to work with partners from the private, public and voluntary sectors to create the accommodation, which would be owned, and in many cases run, by the partner organisations.

For a flat yearly fee and agreed percentage of annual income, YHA will provide marketing and booking services for each new centre, which will also display the green YHA logo recognised by visitors from across the world.

Opportunities to establish the new accommodation identified by the association include the Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, as well as along the South West coastal path and in the region?s cities and market towns.

The charity?s objectives include strengthening links with local communities, promoting sustainable tourism and providing young people ? particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds ? with the chance to enjoy a residential break in a new environment.

YHA regional manager for the South West Frank Velander said their network needed to grow and the new initiative offered considerable scope for them to work with partners.

?There are real opportunities for farm diversification and to redevelop redundant buildings, as well as regeneration possibilities for communities across the region,? he said.

?We want to bring more visitors to the South West to experience and enjoy what the region has to offer. We are aiming to increase the number of annual overnight stays at YHA accommodation by 125,000 within five years.?