Global hospitality firm Airbnb signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the North Eastern Council (NEC), the North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and two key livelihood initiatives, North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) and North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), with the aim of creating hospitality micro-entrepreneurs across key destinations in North East India.
The need for economic development in the North Eastern Region for holistic growth of the nation has been amply stressed upon not just by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), but also by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the partnership, the NEC, NETDC and Airbnb will collaborate to boost tourism and create positive travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors to the North Eastern states.
Under the MoU, the NEC, NETDC and Airbnb agreed to expand tourism in the North East, improve the quality of home stay facilities and properties in the region, provide and promote tourism resources in the area and cooperate to improve the regulatory environment for home sharing.
Airbnb also announced MoUs for strategic partnerships with the NERLP and NERCRMS to generate technology-enabled livelihood opportunities in tourism and hospitality for micro-entrepreneurs in the North East, and to help low-income families monetise their existing assets through home sharing.
Under these agreements, Airbnb will provide training to core teams of the NERLP and NERCRMS, which will further train existing and potential hosts on home sharing, responsible hosting, hospitality standards, hygiene and basic amenities.
"The development of the North East Region is of prime importance for the overall inclusive growth of India, and tourism development has always been one of our key focus areas, keeping in mind the North East's natural beauty and cultural heritage. This MoU with Airbnb is a step towards achieving our aim of doubling tourist growth rate in the next three years, by creating more sustainable accommodation options and enhancing the hospitality service standards in the region," said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Development of North Eastern Region.
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"Last year, during Brian Chesky's meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Airbnb had committed to develop a homestay ecosystem through adequate skills training and development and promote India's high potential tourism offerings to the world; and the North East was an inevitable choice. We look forward to supporting the economic growth of the North East by drawing more tourists to the region," added Airbnb APAC Regional Director Kum Hong Siew.
The announcement follows Airbnb's efforts to enhance its presence in India, honour its commitment to promote lesser known but high potential tourism destinations in the country and contribute to the growth of a booming home sharing ecosystem, which holds immense promise for tourists - domestic and international alike.