The article focuses on youth hostels, being a relevant component of Italian social tourism phenomenon. Static and dynamic figures of youth hostels tourism demand side are analysed, with reference to an updated regional panel data, therefore a scientific contribution is givven to an present fragmented literature. The study of tourist flows underlines the international market strategic role, with a constant trend during the year and relatively high expenditure per night. While market leaders show difficulties, positive trends have been observed in emerging regions, such as Sardinia. In fact, Sardinian local segment reproduces largely national figures and reflects regional strategies about sustainable tourism: the ongoing projects, implemented by eco-hostel networks, reveal the local ambition of transferring networking models into local destinations suffering from economic and social tensions.