Airbnb launches global office of healthy tourism

The company stated in a release that the move is to create a global initiative to drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism in countries and cities across the globe.

Airbnb said along with the launch of the office, Airbnb is also releasing data that shows the benefits of health tourism for hosts, guests and cities around the world.

"We are announcing the creation of its new Tourism Advisory Board, which will be made up of travel industry leaders across the globe," states that company.

Commenting on the development, Airbnb’s Global Head of Policy and Communications Chris Lehane said with travel and tourism growing faster than most of the rest of economy, it is critical that as many people as should get benefits.

"To democratise the benefits of travel, Airbnb offers a healthy alternative to the mass travel that has plagued cities for decades,” adds Lehane.

In India, Airbnb stated that its efforts are focused on promoting tourism in areas that have not traditionally benefited from tourism and hospitality.

"We recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of our groundbreaking partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA), which empowers self-employed women in India’s rural areas to pursue new livelihoods by sharing their homes on Airbnb," states thte company.

The initiative has now expanded beyond Gujarat to Northeast India, where we are working with SEWA to train new members on home sharing, hospitality and quality standards, as well as responsible hosting practices.

Most recently, Airbnb announced MoUs for strategic partnerships 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), to boost tourism in the North East and help low-income families monetize their assets.