Airbnb today announces the launch of Trips in Bangkok, following the global debut of this new platform in Los Angeles in November 2016. At a press conference held at Greyhound Café, Joe Gebbia, Airbnb’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer, unveiled what this new service will look like here in Thailand.
Trips moves the company beyond a home sharing concept to an end-to-end hospitality solution comprised of three core offerings: Homes, Experiences and Places. Trips brings unique local experiences, insider guides and events designed and led by locals to guests staying with Airbnb and those not on the platform.
Thailand is an important and fast growing market for Airbnb with a 149% increase in the number of Thais using the service to travel in the past year alone. And the appetite isn’t only for travelling on Airbnb. There has been a 93% year on year increase in the number of Thais wanting to share their homes.
Until recently, Airbnb has been about home sharing, transforming the way people travel by allowing them to live like locals. With Trips, Airbnb takes this a few steps further, adding bookable local Experiences to provide an authentic way of exploring a new city. Experiences are designed and led by local experts who share an insider’s view of their city with curious travelers, giving unprecedented access to areas and places that people wouldn’t otherwise see.
Trips isn’t just for guests staying on the Airbnb platform. Experiences offered can also be booked by Bangkok locals and residents of Thailand who are interested in discovering new things to do in this vibrant capital city. Airbnb also aims to help cities diversify tourism away from busy urban centres by providing a way for locals to make extra money by sharing their passions.
We want to make travel magical again by immersing curious visitors in local cities and communities, offering the opportunity to see the true character of a city through the people who live there.
Thailand is an incredible tourist destination, with inbound travel on Airbnb growing by 149% in the last year alone, but we know that travelers want to see the real soul of a place, especially in Bangkok – a leading creative capital in Southeast Asia known for its distinctive culture, edgy energy and rich heritage. I’m so excited to be launching Trips in Bangkok today.
Joe Gebbia, Airbnb co-founder and Chief Product Officer
Over 800 Experiences are now available in more than 13 cities around the world – including Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul here in Asia Pacific – with more than 50 cities due to launch by the end of the year.
Another element of Trips is Places, which makes the most of local expertise by adding the recommendations of hundreds of thousands of Airbnb hosts, neighborhood insiders and local influencers to the platform, providing travelers with access to a city’s hidden gems, as well as the chance to socialize with other guests and locals through meet up events.
About Airbnb
Founded in 2008, Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can belong anywhere they travel, connecting with local cultures and enjoying unique travel experiences. Through its platform, it allows people looking for accommodation to connect with others with available space, from apartments and houses to castles or treehouses, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to communities and local interests, while Places allows people to discover the hidden gems of the city through the recommendations of people who live there. Airbnb is people-powered and the easiest way to earn extra money with available space in a house or sharing passions, interests and cities.