Airbnb to support the Croatian Conservation-Restoration Association
Airbnb has announced today that it is financially supporting the Croatian Conservation-Restoration Association (HDR) to organize conservation-restoration workshops as part of Museum Night 2024. With the aim of educating and increasing awareness about the preservation of cherished cultural assets, the workshops will be held in Zagreb, Vukovar and Križevci. Through expert guidance, participants will have the opportunity to learn the basics of cultural artifact and heritage building conservation and put their skills into practice at the event.
Recognizing a growing demand for heritage-related travel and the potential economic benefits for local communities and the tourism industry, Airbnb has donated almost ten million euros to heritage organizations in Europe. The launch in 2022 of a new Airbnb Category, Historical Homes, supports our commitment to heritage tourism and makes it easier for people to discover traditional Airbnbs and to enjoy Europe’s rich heritage.
A recent analysis of the impact of the category shows how heritage tourism can divert bookings away from Europe’s most saturated tourist hotspots, reducing pressure on those destinations during peak travel periods and allowing guests to explore further afield.
Historical buildings in Croatia are an important part of the local cultural identity. Airbnb recognized the importance of the conservation and restoration profession and supports the Croatian Conservation-Restoration Association in order to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia. With its donation, Airbnb will enable the realization of the association’s efforts to improve the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia, promote cultural tourism and strengthen education in the field of conservation and restoration.
“Heritage is an incredible asset to the tourism industry and it plays a fundamental role in tourism dispersal, by incentivising people to discover out of the beaten path destinations to enjoy the beauty of craftsmanship. We are glad to partner with HRD on such a pivotal topic”
Valentina Reino, Airbnb Head of Public Policy for Southern Europe
“On behalf of the Croatian Conservation-Restoration Association, we are grateful for the donation we received from Airbnb. This will greatly enable us to support the strengthening of the conservation and restoration profession and by promoting cultural tourism by helping private users of cultural assets to preserve and restore their valuable objects through education. This funding program will help us promote the importance of cultural heritage, the conservation and restoration profession and cultural tourism in Croatia.”
Marko Buljan, President of Croatian Conservation Restoration Association.
In the first year since the roll-out of the Historical Homes category in Europe, over 2.5 million nights have been booked in heritage properties. There are now over 50,000 listings in the Historical Homes category and just under 70% of European historic homes on Airbnb are located in non-urban areas, helping to disperse the benefits of tourism to rural and lesser visited destinations. Heritage Hosts have collectively earned over 320 million euros since the category launched – with the typical historical home Host on Airbnb in Europe earning just under 5,700 euros since launch.
Airbnb has also launched the heritage academies in Italy, France and Spain, offering historic homes owners a personal Host ambassador to offer bespoke training and advice on how to become a Historical Homes Host. Visiting the landing page will be possible to get in touch with the team and receive a dedicated toolkit.