Airbnb signs first experiences partnership in Lithuania
Lithuania: After having signed an agreement on automated tax collection earlier this year, Airbnb has signed its first Experiences partnership with Lithuania’s tourism board.
This is the first such partnership between an online travel platform and a destination marketing organisation.
The aim is to connect travellers to local businesses and culture through the creation of a catered Experiences marketplace. To this end, Airbnb will craft 20 unique experiences led by locals, hoping to use its platform to boost tourism in the nation.
It marks a general expansion by Airbnb into the Baltic region. The company will be introducing its Experiences service to Estonia and Latvia by the end of the year.
Lithuania Travel general manager Dalius Morkvenas said: “Our Experiences partnership with Airbnb will greatly help us boost the demand for travel to Lithuania and the other Baltic states and increase the range of offerings for visitors. We highly support such collaborations that help local tourism businesses receive additional visibility on a global level.”
Airbnb’s Experiences service launched in 2016 and already offers a number of unique experiences in the capital city of Vilnius. Notable offers include historic walking tours, educational workshops and a sailing tour of the Baltic bay.
With this move and the introduction of automatic tax collection, Lithuania has received many regional firsts for the company. This means it may be using the small Baltic nation as a model for expansion into the rest of Eastern Europe.
Kathrin Anselm, general manager of Airbnb CEE and Russia, said: “We very much look forward to working towards sustainable tourism in the Baltics together with Lithuania Travel and welcome the support from other destination marketing organisations in the region. The Baltic states offer a great variety to travellers from all over the world and we are excited that visitors will be able to get to know the local culture through Experiences.”
For more information, visit the Airbnb Experiences website here.
