After launching in Paris and Bangkok this month, community-driven hospitality company, Airbnb has launched its new platform ‘Trips’ in India.
The Trips platform is currently available in Delhi, and consists of 15 bookable local experiences.
Launched in November 2016, Airbnb Trips currently has over 800 active experiences available, with users from over 73 different countries. It allows visitors to experience the city they are travelling to in a different light, by mingling with the locals.
The platform also allows local people to participate and benefit from tourism by sharing their interests and passions. It will also allow local residents to discover new things to do and meet new people.
Within Trips, the Experiences category offers access to local passions and interests guided by the people. While Places include recommendations from local experts that only locals may know about, MeetUp events offer a chance to socialise with locals and other travellers.
In a statement issued by the company, Brian Chesky, co-founder, CEO, and Head of Community of Airbnb said, “Trips is the most significant development in the history of Airbnb. We’re moving beyond just the home, bringing together where you stay, what you do, and the people you meet all in one place. I’m excited to launch India Trips today as we’ve handpicked unique experiences, designed and led by locals, to reflect the diversity and variety of the city.”
As part of the 15 experiences available in Delhi, travellers will get a chance to experience the journey of a couture ensemble with celebrity designer duo, Shantanu and Nikhil, at their Delhi workshop, among other things.
Founded in 2008, by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb initially started out as Airbedandbreakfast. The team targeted cities in the US where big events caused a shortage of accommodation. Currently, the platform allows people looking for accommodation to connect with those who have available space – from apartments and houses to castles or treehouses, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries.
In August 2016, Airbnb announced a strategic partnership with India’s largest media conglomerate The Times Group, to expand operations in India and build a more localised network.Other players in this segment include HeyBnb, Roomorama, Flipkey, etc.
