By Velma Corcoran –
In many ways travel has lost its magic. Increasingly its mass produced and mass consumed. Tourists don’t get to do the things that locals do, and they find it increasingly difficult to even meet locals. Airbnb aims to fix that. That’s why in November 2016 we launched Trips, a bold step that takes us beyond offering homes in order “to bring together where you stay, what you do and who you meet”, all in one platform. Cape Town was one of just 12 cities globally included in the initial launch.
Airbnb Trips focuses on three key areas – Experiences, Places and Homes – offering bespoke experiences by locals as well insider guides and meet-ups. Experiences are excursions or activities designed and led by local hosts. Hosts give guests unique access into places and communities in their city. This creates a more unique travel experience for the guest and the opportunity to make some money for the hosts who shares his passion with travelers.
At Attractions Africa I will give insight how Trips builds on Airbnb’s vision to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. With Trips we are trying to make travel both magical and simple. By putting people at the center of what we do we can create transformational experiences that truly allow visitors to immerse in local communities. In the six months since we have launched trips we have learnt a lot. I will share some of those learning and discuss how attractions can tap into the sharing economy. By working with platforms like Airbnb there is an opportunity for attractions to offer “the iconic with a twist”.
Catch Velma’s presentation on Tuesday, 7 June at 09:20 at the Attractions Africa 2017 conference.
Comments are closed