“Greek Historic Houses Visits 2024” to be supported by Airbnb
Airbnb announced it will support “Greek Historic Houses Visits 2024”, a project of ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) which will take place on 24-26 May 2024. In the framework of ELLET’s programme, 10 privately-owned historic houses all around Greece will be open to the public free of charge on May 24-26, 2024, to raise awareness of private historic houses, promote cultural heritage conservation and explore options for sustainable heritage-led tourism in Greece.
Historical homes in Greece are an important part of the local heritage. Airbnb’s latest data shows that only 2% of Historical Homes in the country are in high density urban areas, with the vast majority of homes in the category located in rural (54%) or low density urban areas (44%)1. These areas rely heavily on tourism to support local families and businesses. Coming together to revitalize heritage sites, the partnership will enhance awareness of these sites’ contribution to society and more broadly encourage public engagement in the preservation of private historic houses.
“We believe that this collaboration will make a significant contribution to the objectives of our project, which in this 4th year of its life will open notable heritage properties to the public in at least ten historic locations in Greece,” noted ELLET Vice President Yannis Michail”.
ELLET Vice President Yannis Michail
“With almost 400 historical homes on Airbnb in Greece, there is a wealth of historical diversity to experience and enjoy. With this partnership, we want to highlight these benefits to more people and to spread the message to towns, villages and lesser known locations across the country”.
Giacomo Trovato, Airbnb Greece Country Manager
Airbnb’s Commitment to heritage tourism across Europe
There are 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.
Recognising 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. In recent years, the platform has signed multiple partnerships with heritage associations in Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and Poland.
Airbnb has also launched the Heritage Academy, offering bespoke training and advice on how to become a Historical Homes Host.