ByIANSlife

November 12, 2021 (IANSlife) The world is undergoing a revolution in how we live, travel and work. Technologies like Zoom make it possible to work from home. It is now possible to work from any home. This newfound flexibility is bringing about a revolution in how we travel. Millions of people can now take more frequent trips, longer trips, travel to more locations, and even live anywhere on Airbnb.

As travel restrictions in India loosen, new research commissioned by the travel platform in India demonstrates a shift towards increased demand for flexible travel, nearby stays, and longer trips that allow guests to combine work and leisure - and ultimately, to live anywhere.

To support Hosts and Guests through these changes, Airbnb has also unveiled 50+ upgrades and innovations across the platform’s entire service to support this travel revolution.

“For Airbnb, 2021 has been a year of relentless innovation to refine our core service,” said Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb. “This year we’ve delivered more than 150 upgrades and innovations. Our design-driven approach means that we’re constantly improving our service to adapt to this changing world. For the first time ever, millions of people can now travel anytime, anywhere, for any length, and even live anywhere on Airbnb. This is a travel revolution.”

 

A travel revolution

A revolution is changing how we live and work, bringing about a revolution in how we travel. Bleisure travel is becoming more and more accessible for Indians as work becomes increasingly flexible. Airbnb is making it possible to work from any home—and ultimately, to live anywhere.

• An overwhelming 73 percent of Indian travelers are looking at an expanded definition of ‘business travel’ - from traveling for business, to travelling for leisure while working remotely
• 87 percent of Indians are now planning to work while travelling/living elsewhere.
• 48 percent of Indian travelers see travel as an integrated part of their life.

 

Indian travelers are looking at hosting more than before

Indians are also embracing hosting as a means of generating income and helping to funnel much needed tourism earnings into their local communities.

• Across India, 44 percent of travelers would prefer to rent their home and travel either full time or part time sharing type accommodation formats.
• From March 2020 to September 2021, new Airbnb Hosts in India collectively earned almost INR 40 crores from welcoming guests on Airbnb.

 

Flexibility is the key now more than ever

• More than ever before, Indian travelers (37 percent of Indians) now look for flexibility in when, how, and where they travel.
• This trend is significant across generations and more evident in Baby Boomers at 57 percent followed by Gen X and Millennials at 48 percent and 41 percent respectively.

 

Near is the new far

A trend prevalent since the beginning of the pandemic, travel within 300 KMs of home continues to drive demand for Indian travelers.

• 42 percent of respondents to the YouGov survey said that they would continue to look at nearby stays.
• Moreover, 37 percent of travelers continue to look at lesser-known destinations within India.
• Baby boomers, at 47 percent, are more likely than Gen Z, at 33 percent to explore lesser known destinations across India.

 

50+ upgrades and innovations across our entire service

In May, we introduced the Airbnb 2021 Release, with over 100 upgrades to improve every aspect of the Airbnb service. Today, we are introducing an additional 50+ upgrades that make it easier to host and support the changing needs of travellers, including:

• AirCover - Top-to-bottom protection. Free for every Host. Only on Airbnb.
• Translation Engine - The most advanced translation technology ever offered to our community.
• Accessibility Review - Every accessibility feature is reviewed for 100% accuracy.
• I’m (even more) Flexible - Search for more unique homes up to 12 months in advance.           
• Verified Wifi - Our new speed test tool verifies the speed of the wifi in a listing.
• Smarter Trips Tab - A redesigned Trips tab with all your must-have travel details.
• Ask a Superhost Expansion - Connects new Hosts to a Superhost in their area for 1:1 help.

...and 46 more upgrades.

 

AirCover

More guests than ever before are choosing to stay in an Airbnb, which is leading to more people wanting to host to take advantage of this growing opportunity. To offer even more reassurance to our existing four million Hosts, and make it even easier for new Hosts to take that first big step, today we are introducing AirCover.

Only Airbnb gives AirCover, which provides top-to-bottom protection for every Airbnb Host with US $1 million in damage protection and the US $1 million in liability coverage. AirCover also includes income loss protection, pet damage protection, deep cleaning protection, and more.

Airbnb pioneered Host protection a decade ago with the industry-first Host Guarantee. After ten years of learning from our Hosts, we’ve reimagined the program, expanding protections and creating faster payouts.

AirCover is always included and always free for all new and existing Hosts. With AirCover, Hosts receive:

• US $1M damage protection
• US $1M liability insurance
• Income loss protection
• Pet damage protection
• Deep cleaning protection
• 14-day filing window
• Quicker reimbursements
• Faster track for Superhosts

 

* Survey conducted by YouGov between 12-19 October 2021 with a sample size of 1,007 Indian respondents.

** All data in this post is for Q3 2021, and all comparisons are to Q3 2019 unless otherwise specified.

*** Based on Airbnb internal data measuring new Indian Hosts’ income over the period of March 12, 2020, to September 30, 2021

 

 

 

 

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