Airbnb inaugurates Arabic-language website
Asia / Africa: Airbnb has inaugurated its Arabic-language website, following a 63 per cent year-on-year growth in visitors from the UAE.
The rental platform has become increasingly popular across the Middle East and North-Africa region in recent years, where more than 70,000 listings originate from.
As a result, Arabic will be an accessible language across all features in Airbnb’s localised web platform and iOS and Android apps, including listing pages with vacation rentals.
The 63 per cent year-on-year growth was recorded by Airbnb in January, with the site having welcomed over 145,000 guests worldwide compared to a reported 90,000 guests in the same time period from the previous year.
Airbnb had previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Tourism (DTCM) in 2016 and with Ras al Khaimah in 2018 in order to promote responsible hosting standards within the Emirates and encourage tourism diversification.
Furthermore, Airbnb and DCT Abu Dhabi partnered to launch the Emirati Experiences last year, which allow guests from around the world to live like a local and participate in local and authentic activities.
According to the Bloomberg World Airbnb Cost Index 2018, Dubai was the fifth most expensive city in the world for Airbnb consumers last year, based on the average cost of a private lodging per night.
An average Airbnb room in Dubai costs approximately $185 per night, putting it above equivalent rooms in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London and Sydney respectively.
Hadi Moussa, Airbnb regional manager for Middle East and Africa, told Arabian Business: “The Middle East and North-Africa region is extremely important to us, so we are delighted to launch Airbnb in Arabic today.
“People from across the region have been using Airbnb since it was founded ten years ago to book magical travel experiences. We want to create a true sense of belonging for them by ensuring they can do so in their native language going forward.
“We want to inspire more Arabic speaking travellers to explore their favourite destinations through authentic, local stays and experiences on the Airbnb platform. Arab hospitality is famous around the world and Airbnb wants to encourage more people in the region to host and share this warm welcome with guests from around the world,” he added.
For more information, visit the Airbnb website here.
