Airbnb to steer us off the beaten track to tackle over-tourism
AIRBNB plans to suggest properties that holidaymakers may want to visit instead of asking them to enter a destination, in an effort to tackle claims that it contributes to over-tourism.
The company has unveiled what it called the biggest change in its history to direct tourists away from hotspots and towards far-flung locations.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive, said it would “redistribute” tourism and help to prevent travellers from flocking to cities such as Venice and Paris during peak times.
“Over-tourism isn’t too many people in the world travelling, I think overtourism is too many people going to the same place at the same time,” he said. “We’re trying to spread everyone out over as many dates and as many locations as possible.”
The overhaul will see Airbnb’s app and website change from requiring users to enter a destination and date before showing them properties, which the company says has been standard practice among travel websites for 25 years.
Instead, users will scroll through categories such as treehouses, mansions, beaches and vineyards, although prospective tourists will still be able to search by date and location if they wish.
“We think if we can move away from the search box, we can help redistribute travel,” Mr Chesky said.
Airbnb, launched upended tourism by moving accommodation away from hotels and towards privately owned rooms or properties. However, it has faced accusations of hollowing out popular tourist locations because local residents are unable to outspend landlords who host guests using the website.
Airbnb has enjoyed a stronger rebound than many travel companies from the pandemic, with revenues in the first quarter of this year 80pc higher than in the same period in 2019.