 "Rental major Airbnb to target more premium and niche properties in India")
Airbnb, the San Francisco-based homestay rental major, plans to add more premium, luxury and “authentic” Indian properties on its listing portal in this country.
With accommodation options in around 34,000 places across the globe, it has an array of premium properties on its platform. “We have already got incredible spots on our platform. It could be at a really high price point or at a lower price point. We are planning to add more such listings in the coming months,” said Mike Orgill, its director of public policy in the Asia-Pacific.
The company said it had properties available for stay from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per night in India. Some of the luxury properties include havelis in Rajasthan, villas in Coorg, farmhouses in Delhi and Chandigarh, colonial bungalows in tea gardens and houseboats in Kerala.
“India has become a hot destination rather quickly for us. We have seen 188 per cent year-on-year increase in guest arrivals coming to stay in India. It started in the cities but is now increasingly going to local destinations. So, there is a need for us to ensure that in local spots, we have high quality accommodation,” Orgill said.
Airbnb has a little over two million listed homes on its portal and have hosted some 100 million guests across 191 countries since 2008. Valued at $24 billion, the company is aiming for big numbers in India. It has about 18,000 listings here and plans to double the number in a while. In an effort to tap into the tier-III and rural market, Airbnb has also signed an agreement with the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA). It will work with the latter's members to help them share their homes with Airbnb’s community of international and domestic guests. The joint aim is to drive demand for the SEWA homes through partnerships with state governments, academic institutions, media partners and other civil society bodies. The initiative began in Gujarat.
“We hope to offer a unique and authentic experience of rural India for travellers, while ensuring that the benefits of tourism flow back to the rural community,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, country manager.
Orgill said the challenge was always around how the government defined the activity. “Once you can define it, you can figure the rules and regulations around it. Under most laws around the world, this is an undefined activity. So, what box do you put it in? Governments in India, and this is not unique to this country, basically do not know which box to put it into or create a new box. There is no one-size-fits-all template. The needs in rural areas would be different from those in Mumbai. What we try to do is reach out to each government and ask them what is that they are concerned about,” he added.