Airbnb signs national MoU to train 50,000 hospitality entrepreneurs in India

We are excited to announce our partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation and the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council of India partner to upskill hospitality entrepreneurs.

On November 28 2017, we signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council (THSC) to provide hospitality skills training to hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in India.

Building on Airbnb’s commitment to support Skill India Mission by creating 50,000 hospitality entrepreneurs in India, the MoU signed today aims to empower more citizens – including those in rural and underserved areas – to join the ‘alternate accommodation’ sector and pursue new livelihood opportunities by sharing their homes.

Under the terms of the MoU, the parties agree to:

• ESTABLISH occupation standards and competency matrices for job roles and develop the courses for hospitality entrepreneurs offering homestay and facilities, other unique accommodations and local experiences for travellers
• CREATE standards for certification and accreditation as per the requirements and global benchmarks of Tourism and Hospitality industry for hospitality entrepreneurs offering homestay facilities, other unique accommodations and local experiences for travellers
• SET the framework for long-term Council-Industry partnership
• STRENGTHEN the Skilled Labour Pool required by Tourism and Hospitality industry

Announcing the partnership, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Honourable Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, said, “India needs 6.48 million skilled workers in the tourism sector by 2022. We believe that NSDC’s and THSC’s partnership with a global brand like Airbnb will help to augment Skill India Mission by bringing in global best practices for the training of small hospitality entrepreneurs and will also realize the Honourable  Prime Minister’s vision of Tourism for All.”

Mr. Jayant Krishna, Chief Operating Officer, NSDC commented, “NSDC is committed to create impactful skill development programs for skill seekers across the country.  Such partnerships between corporates such as Airbnb and sector skill councils are vital in creating linkages between the industry and addressing the gap for skilled manpower in the country.”

Ms. Sonali Sinha, Chief Operating Officer, THSC said, “The tourism and hospitality sector is grappling with a manpower and talent crunch, apart from a huge supply vacuum. We are pleased to have Airbnb as a partner in this effort to address this. Their global leadership experience, innovation-led-approach, and existing knowledge on global hospitality standards will be highly critical to achieve the vision we have set together.”

Mr. Brent Thomas, Airbnb’s Regional Director of Policy for India, Southeast Asia and ANZ, said, “India’s tourism sector is at the cusp of massive growth and this presents a significant opportunity for the adoption of healthy and sustainable tourism practices that ensure the benefits of tourism go back to local communities.. This partnership will help to create more skilled, digitally-literate hospitality entrepreneurs – especially among the women and those in underserved areas – who can create a homestay in every home, offer authentic experiences in every Indian locality and help spread the benefits of tourism.”

Speaking of this crucial milestone in Airbnb’s India journey, Mr. Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager, Airbnb said, “India is a key strategic market for Airbnb globally and this partnership is a further indication of our commitment. Partnering with premier institutions like NSDC and THSC is a key step in realizing the commitment we made to create 50,000 skilled hospitality entrepreneurs over the next two years, including 15,000 women, when Airbnb CEO and Co-Founder Mr. Brian Chesky met the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”