Airbnb launched Airbnb Plus in Shanghai on March 28 and plans to expand the service to more cities this year. The company also launched the newly established Airbnb Host Academy to service local hosts.
Just one month ago, the company unveiled a Roadmap that puts Airbnb on a path to more than 1 billion annual guests by 2028. The Roadmap introduces new products and services including four new property types, listing tiers, Airbnb Collections and new community recognition programs. These new initiatives will be available in China during the next few months.
Airbnb Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer and China Chairman Nathan Blecharczyk said:
"Our goal is to welcome more than 1 billion guests by 2028, and we cannot reach this goal without our Airbnb China community...By 2020, more Airbnb guests will come from China than any other country."
Airbnb Plus
Airbnb Plus is intended for guests who are looking for beautiful homes, exceptional hosts and added peace of mind. Every qualified Airbnb Plus home has been inspected and verified in person against a 100+ point checklist covering cleanliness, comfort and design.
There are around 100 Airbnb Plus homes already available for booking in Shanghai for international and domestic travelers.
Airbnb Host Academy
Airbnb Host Academy (AHA) is an innovative program leveraging online and offline efforts to provide relevant educational content to hosts. Airbnb has held several offline sessions across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou, interacting face-to-face with hosts from different communities.
Airbnb's data shows that 99 percent of attendees of AHA feel the event helps them to become better hosts, while 95 percent of attendees would recommend AHA to their host friends.
Growth in China
Airbnb said its domestic listings in China have grown nearly 100 percent, and in the last year alone, there have been over 3.3 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings in China by local travelers.
Since January 2017, there has been a 20-time rise in the number of guests taking Experience each week. Now there are more than 300 Experiences across China, whereas there were only 10 Experiences a year ago.
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