Visa & Airbnb Support Women-Led MSBs in Beijing 2022 and Women Program

Today, Visa and Airbnb jointly announced the cooperation to support women-led micro and small businesses (MSBs) through the Beijing 2022 and Women Program, initiated by Visa (the ‘Program’), with the aim to empower and uplift their internal capabilities and external resources to better benefit from opportunities brought by Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. 

With a focus on the tourism, culture and sport sectors in the Greater Beijing Area, the Program will introduce the Airbnb Rural Empowerment Toolkits and make them available for all the program participants. The Airbnb Rural Empowerment Toolkits, newly launched in the program, are co-designed by Airbnb, Beijing International Studies University and China Tourism Homestay Association of China Tourism Association. The full version of the training program will be released soon.

In China, small and medium enterprises contribute more than 50 percent of tax revenue, over 60 percent of its GDP, more than 70 percent of technological innovation and over 80 percent of urban employment.*  Beijing 2022 will have a prolonged impact on the development of tourism, culture and sports industries, advancing industrial transformation in the host cities and bringing golden opportunities to the MSBs in these communities.

Shirley Yu, Group General Manager, Visa Greater China said, “Empowering women is essential for communities to thrive. Women power economies around the world and increasingly are a driving force in the creation of new business. We believe economies that include everyone, everywhere, uplift everyone, everywhere. Visa has been operating in China for over three decades and we’ve been a Top Partner of the Olympic Games for over 30 years, our commitment in supporting the inclusive growth and sustainable development in China is long term. We are excited to partner with Airbnb on this women empowerment program, contributing to the success of the Beijing 2022.”

“Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. As the newest TOP Partner, we are very delighted to collaborate with Visa to empower women hosts in China, boost the local economy and benefit the host cities. Building on this program, we will continue to design exciting programs to set a new standard for hosting, and provide travel options that are economically empowering, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.”

Tao Peng, Airbnb China President

Based on the China Home-sharing Industry Report 2020 issued by the State Information Centre, there are 6.18 million home-sharing service providers in China in 2019, with a year-over-year growth of 54.6 percent. Airbnb China’s data also shows that more than 53 percent of active hosts are women. The upcoming Beijing 2022 will present women hosts the opportunity to earn extra income by welcoming the world to their homes with great hospitality.

The Beijing 2022 and Women Program is designed for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, led by Visa and supported by China Women’s Development Foundation and Beijing Sport University. The program aims to empower women-led MSBs and uplift their internal capabilities and external resources to better benefit from opportunities brought by Beijing 2022.  With a focus on sports, tourism and cultural sectors in Greater Beijing area, the program offers a diverse empowerment mechanism including practical training, digital tools, development grants, and international platforms. It also provide a knowledge sharing and networking platform for women to connect and learn from each other. The goal is to cover more than 5,000 women-led small businesses by 2022 and contribute to the inclusive and sustainable growth of host cities. 

*Source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Jun 4, 2020 China Daily