Fuelled by the 2,500% growth of Experiences bookings in 2017, Airbnb announced today (23 Feb) that they will be expanding it to 1,000 destinations by the end of 2018, including places such as Easter Island, Tasmania and Iceland.
In fact, Experiences grew a whopping 25 times faster than Homes did in the first year!
There are currently 5,000 Experiences across 60 destinations, meaning that travellers will definitely see a huge surge of unique offerings soon.
The Experiences have also received great response from travellers, with 91% of bookings receiving five-star reviews.
And it’s not just consumers that are enjoying the advent of these curated, local-led tours – hosts are also receiving an extra stream of income from sharing about what they love.
Some of Airbnb’s most-booked hosts are making more than US$200,000 per year with their gig!
Adding New Experience Passion Categories – Concerts, Social Dining, Adventures
With the impending surge of Experiences on the platform, Airbnb also announced that they’re adding new Experience passion categories to its current stable of offerings.
These new categories are Airbnb Concerts, Social Dining, and Adventures. They are also expanding Social Impact Experiences.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what each of them would entail:
- Airbnb Concerts – intimate live shows in unconventional venues that travellers might not know about (some venues include churches, wine cellars, and parks!). This is already available on Experiences.
- Social Dining – specialty dining Experiences planned by hosts, where hosts can bond with their guests (and guests can bond with each other) over food
- Adventures – multi-day excursions off the beaten path that travellers plan a trip around. This includes living with Bedouins camping in the Sahara, and Airbnb is now looking into trips to the North Pole!
- Social Impact – activities that connect travellers to local non-profit organisations
2018 Will Be An Exciting Year For Travellers
The announcement today follows the unveiling of the 10-year Roadmap yesterday, which is set to put Airbnb on the path to serving more than 1 billion guests a year by 2028.
The Roadmap included revamped perks for Superhosts, the launch of a new ‘Superguest’ programme, more property types, better recognition for excellent listings, and its venture into the (very profitable) luxury market.
With the announcement yesterday being more focused on their accommodation business, it’s not surprising that they’re also working hard on their rapidly-growing Experiences wing.
Who knows – Airbnb might very well be one its way to becoming a ‘one-stop’ platform for travellers and all their travel needs soon.
Watch this space for more updates.