Airbnb China hosts Belo Awards for business
China: Airbnb China has hosted its annual Belo Awards, which comprises of categories including Best Housing Design, Best Hospitality, Best Community Contribution, and Best Entrepreneurship.
According to Airbnb China president Peng Tao, hosts from more than 90 cities across the country participated in the competition.
Tao said at the event: “2019 was the year when Airbnb fully penetrated into the Chinese market. Data shows that from January to October this year, the average monthly active users of the Airbnb app continued to run first in China, among all other short-stay rental platforms.
“We have been digging deep into five areas: branding, products, quality, trust and security, as well as community building, and we are committed to creating an authentic travel experience for more travellers,” he added.
At the same time, the company has also announced the release of its Airbnb China Host Community Report, which provides a synopsis of trends and host behaviour in the country.
Some of the findings included:
- In 2019, the number of Airbnb China’s Superhosts reportedly rose by 2.6 times
- As the number of hosts trebled, the number of Airbnb Plus hosts increased nine times
- The proportion of Airbnb China hosts under the age of 40 years old has reached almost 70 per cent
- Close to 90 per cent of all Chinese hosts have an additional job – the majority of these have qualified in higher education and 87 per cent are college graduates
- A total of 20 per cent of Chinese hosts have professions in creative industries
- The proportion of Chinese hosts in second- or third-tier cities and holiday resorts is slowly increasing
As part of Airbnb’s global partnership with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees spanning nine years, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be in collaboration with the short-term rental platform.
Shi Yanxin, head of technology at Airbnb China, told Pandaily: “Airbnb advocates technology for the greater good, and through our ‘community-driven’ business model, we open up more possibilities for the development of the tourism industry.
“Much to our delight, a great number of Chinese hosts now choose the Airbnb platform, where they would not only gain sincere connection and goodwill between people, but also welcome the world into our homes. At the same time, the considerable economic income creates social and economic benefits for the communities,” Yanxin added.
At the same time, Airbnb China has launched a campaign film, entitled “Lost & Found”, that aims to attract younger generations to experience and trace their cultural roots.
The film provides an summary of some of the 40 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) experiences that Airbnb is bringing to cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Qiandongnan
Airbnb says it hopes the campaign will bring “new meanings, perspectives and energy to Chinese cultural heritage, empowering the sustainable development of cultural preservation in China”.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Our mission at Airbnb is to bring people together, sharing experiences and building communities. It’s worrying that as generations pass, culture gets forgotten, and this film is our contribution to help culture be remembered.”
For more information, visit the Airbnb China website here.
