Airbnb is launching an office of healthy tourism to promote sustainable travel

Airbnb is bigger than any single hotel chain and with that comes great responsibility 
Airbnb guests have made over 300 million+ check-ins in the company's 10 year history
Airbnb
Amelia Heathman17 April 2018

Airbnb, the global home-sharing platform, is launching a new office of healthy tourism to benefit communities around the world.

The Silicon Valley-based company says the initiative will help to drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism in cities and countries.

There are around 4.85 million listings on Airbnb in over 191 countries, making the tech company bigger than any single hotel chain. With such a widespread reach, it’s important that Airbnb promotes sustainable tourism in order not to have a detrimental impact on the communities it affects.

The new office will work with communities through partnerships, programs and events to drive travel to lesser-known places and support environmentally-friendly travel habits.

Explaining the new office, Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s global head of policy and communications, said: “Airbnb supports tourism that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.

"Through the meaningful income earned by our global community of hosts; our ability to promote tourism to places that need it the most; and the inherent sustainable benefits of hosting, Airbnb is proving the type of travel that is best for destinations and travellers alike.”

The company has also revealed its new transparency data for 2017, demonstrating the impact Airbnb has had on home sharing in more than 300 cities and 80 countries across the world.

In the UK alone, the typical host earned £3,286 renting out their space for 39 days every year.

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And in London, over 2.1 million guests travelled to the city, whilst 3.1 million of its population travelled to other destinations.

As Airbnb’s guests continue to travel the world, the company is looking to outside counsel on its sustainable tourism mission.

It is launching a new Tourism Advisory Board, made up of global tourism experts, to keep this mission on track.

Taleb Rifai, the former secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is joining the tourism board, alongside Rosette Rugama, MD of Songa Africa and Amakoro Lodge, and former director general of Rwanda Tourism.

Rifai said in a statement: “I am thrilled and excited to be joining Airbnb’s Tourism Advisory Board, and to be working with my fellow board members to ensure that the company continues to be a force for healthy tourism around the world; a force for good.”

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