MUMBAI: Airbnb, the America-based marketplace and hospitality service brokerage company recently announced its intent to double market spends in India for better visibility. Airbnb Asia-Pacific regional director Siew Kum Hong mentioned that one of the prime reasons behind this move is the increasing number of listings within the country, which went up by 150 per cent the last year.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Airbnb India marketing lead Varun Raina said that tourism in emerging economies is expected to increase at twice the rate as compared to other global markets and India is playing a crucial role in this growth, making it important for the company to expand its footprints here.
He said, “Airbnb’s growth in India has been phenomenal on all fronts – the number of listings, hosts and the travellers choosing the service in India. There are approximately 50,000 Airbnb homes and more than 250 unique Airbnb Experiences across the country.”
Quoting Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Raina shared that the aim is to get over 1 billion people to join the platform by 2027 and India is expected to be a huge contributor to this number owing to its huge millennial demographic and growing middle class.
He added, “The dominant segment of Indian consumers is led by 410 million millennials who have a very progressive travel mindset.” Raina went on to reveal that India has been performing phenomenally good for the platform. He mentioned that over two million Indian guests travelled using Airbnb globally in 2018. “Our Host community has welcomed more than 1.25 million travellers since 2016, over 60 per cent of which occurred in 2018. That growth isn’t just limited to foreign travellers; domestic travel on Airbnb in India has increased by 78 per cent in 2018.”
The focus of India’s marketing communication will be about Airbnb’s availability for all. With every communication the goal is to highlight that with Airbnb, one can get unprecedented access to travel on one’s own terms. The media are chosen based on its target audience. Its latest campaign, “That’s Why We Airbnb” is running across TV (music, news, GEC impact, sports) outdoor, airports, digital, and social media.
Elaborating more on the campaign, Raina noted, “Our newest campaign highlights real travellers discovering real places solely while in an Airbnb home. With their Airbnb as an anchor, the brand aims to guide travellers through their new environments and experience what truly interests them in and around the home. Given that there is an Airbnb for everyone, it’s only natural that our campaigns relate to every type of traveller-whether it’s a couple, a family, movie stars or workgroups.”
