Fairbnb.coop launches Covid-19 relief campaign

Italy: Non-extractive holiday rental platform Fairbnb.coop has launched its COVID-19 relief campaign #IStayHome & #TravelTomorrow, from which the proceeds of future trips will be immediately diverted to support doctors, nurses and health personnel on the front line against the coronavirus in the co-op’s active communities in Italy.

The message is clear to the company’s guests: by postponing a booked trip to a later date, the sustainable tourism industry in Italy will be in a better place to recover when the effects of the coronavirus begin to subside.

As booking platforms see reservations drop sharply, the company says it is “placing a burden on the shoulders of the owners and managers of the properties, and families who integrate their income without damaging the social fabric of their city”.

In Italy and an increasing number of countries around the world, property managers and hosts are opening up their homes and rooms to healthcare professionals to allow them to stay in a safe, isolated space where they can reduce the possibility of passing on an infection, and in close proximity to the hospitals they are working in.

With that in mind, Fairbnb.coop, which is already active in closed beta version and allocates 50 per cent of commissions on bookings to community projects with a significant social impact, is working closely with its Italian pilot cities of Genoa, Bologna and Venice to donate financially to institutes and organisations that are helping with the fight against Covid-19. The platform is also looking to expand this initiative into Amsterdam, Barcelona and Valencia in due course.

• In Bologna, the part of the commissions for the projects will be donated to the Sant’Orsola Foundation.
• In Venice, the commissions will be donated to the current account activated by the Veneto Region for the “Coronavirus emergency fundraising”.
• In Genoa, the commissions will be donated to the current account activated by the Liguria Region for the “Coronavirus emergency fundraising”.

Fairbnb.coop has pledged that 100 per cent of the funds will go towards supporting doctors, nurses, and operators who work on the front lines, and it will also contribute to the support structures and intensive care in hospitals in the respective cities.

In addition, the platform promised to directly cover all transaction costs [committing over 25 per cent of its gross revenues] to aid the fight against Coronavirus and allow the host’s funds to arrive at their destination without additional costs.

For more information, visit the Fairbnb.coop website here.