 "Airbnb, Ministry of Tourism tie up to promote heritage tourism in India")
Airbnb has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Tourism on Monday to promote India’s high potential as a tourism destination and to highlight the country's rich cultural heritage and homestays.
The year-long partnership is a part of the ‘Soul of India’ microsite that promotes heritage stays across the country and also helps hosts located in untapped and emerging tourism destinations in the country.
G Kishan Reddy, Union Tourism Minister said, “India’s age-old dictum “Homestay accommodations offer travellers a personalised, immersive and rooted in culture travel experience. We are delighted to partner with Airbnb, whose global reach will provide enhanced visibility to India’s unique and varied accommodation offerings and enable travellers an opportunity to experience our rich heritage first-hand. This partnership will contribute to the growth of inbound tourism, create economic opportunities for local communities and position India uniquely on the global tourism map.”
Key elements of the agreement
- Destination promotion: The Ministry of Tourism and Airbnb will work together on promoting India as a sought-after destination by showcasing its cultural and heritage tourism potential through domestic and international campaigns.
- ‘Soul of India’ microsite: Airbnb will also launch a dedicated ‘Soul of India’ microsite to promote heritage homes across India.
- Capacity building and insights: As a part of the ministry's flagship scheme, Airbnb will train hospitality micro-entrepreneurs located in emerging destinations. The platform will also share any key insights into travel and homestays with the ministry to ensure informed policies are drafted and appropriate training in the hospitality sector is conducted.
Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager - India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Airbnb, added, “This MoU represents an important collaboration towards unlocking new economic and social opportunities through tourism in India while bolstering the Incredible India brand and bringing the richness of what India has to offer to even more international travellers.”
This comes during a time when many nations are re-examining tourism policies and short-term stays. Amidst this, the government of India is using the platform's visibility and international reach to create more visibility for emerging tourism destinations in the country.