Saloni Bhatia – New Delhi
The growth percentage in Indian Airbnb listings has tripled in the last year with more than 18,000 houses listed across 100 cities. Last month the Indian tourism ministry indicated that they would be reviewing the current laws and regulations regarding home sharing to make it easier for people to have the chance to experience Indian hospitality. Welcoming this change, AirBnB co-founder and CTO, Nathan Blecharczyk visited India, declaring it as the next big market for the company. Around 80 million people have already travelled through the portal and there are over 34,000 listings registered in over 190 countries. Nearly five lakh Indian guests have travelled on Airbnb, which has over two million listings across the globe.
Speaking about the India market, Blecharczyk said, “We are seeing a lot of momentum in the India market. Today we have around 18,000 properties and that number has increased by 115 per cent last year. Additionally, the Indian economy is growing very fast and so is travel, and as expected, India’s travel market is set to cross the US$ 40 million mark by 2020. So India is a very big and exciting opportunity and now is the time, so we have made this a top priority. India is a popular destination for Airbnb travellers from the US, the UK and Australia.” He added, “The government’s move is a great validation that home sharing has something to offer and it is growing. There are some great properties at offer here in India that include tree houses, palace hotels, suburban penthouses and beach side villas.”Amanpreet Bajaj, country manager, Airbnb, India also talked about the country’s potential, he stated, “India has one of the most charismatic cultures and is very diverse. And this has made it more accessible to the people, and who better to do it than the common people of India, so that tourists can have authentic experiences. We have a great opportunity at hand to share a new way to travel in India.”