NEW DELHI (INDIA): Home-share booking site Airbnb chief executive officer (CEO) Brian Chesky on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed its plan to attract more travellers from Airbnb community to India.
“Today, I had the pleasure to meet Prime Minister Modi and discuss bringing more visitors from the Airbnb community to India. Nearly 9 million people visit India every year, and we think we can help India eventually double this number,” Airbnb CEO and head of community Chesky said in a Facebook post.
In doing so, Airbnb hopes to create hundreds of thousands of host entrepreneurs, including 50,000 over the next 2 years, he added. “We aim to distribute travel to a variety of destinations in the country for heritage and spiritual visits, and also help provide housing for the many festivals in India,” Chesky said.
10 years from now, India will become one of the largest communities worldwide, and “I couldn’t have imagined a better visit than this one,” he added. India is a truly magical place, and with a major emphasis on community and family, it is perfect for fostering Airbnb’s mission to create belonging anywhere, Chesky said.
Airbnb on Sunday launched Trips in Delhi to help users experience unique features about destinations across the country. “Trips is the most significant development in the history of Airbnb. We’re expanding beyond accommodation, but taking the same people-focused approach to the entire trip,” Chesky had said on the launch.
“You can now experience local communities here through the passions of the people who live here. Whether you want to experience couture fashion or artisanal coffee making, you can become nearly anything in this transformative land,” Chesky said.
Source: Press Trust of India