India to be one of the top three markets for Airbnb in long term: Chris Lehane

"India is one of our top three markets in the world in the long term. In next 10 years with the growth of the economy, India is going to be a huge catalyst and generator of travel both internationally and within its borders," Airbnb Global Policy and Communications Head Chris Lehane told PTI.

New Delhi: India will be one of the top three markets globally for Airbnb in the long term, the online accommodation platform major said as it undertakes a number of initiatives to expand presence here.

The company currently has more than 54,000 listings on its platform in India spread over 100 cities.

"India is one of our top three markets in the world in the long term. In next 10 years with the growth of the economy, India is going to be a huge catalyst and generator of travel both internationally and within its borders," Airbnb Global Policy and Communications Head Chris Lehane told PTI.

As for Airbnb, the company grows when hosts do well and hosts do well when the guests have great unique and great experiences, he added.

"We are promoting healthy travel and healthy and sustainable tourism. In healthy travel, the economic benefit stays in the communities, in the areas and in the neighbourhoods," Lehane said.

In India, Airbnb had a growth of 60 per cent in the number of overall guests in 2018 year-on-year, with 70 per cent growth in domestic travel segment during the period, he added.

For the growth, "we have tried to connect our brand locally with people in India, worked and partnered with different government entities and we are also focusing on domestic travel," Lehane said.

In the company's business model, "The 97 per cent of the rental of property on Airbnb goes back to the host and we charge only 3 per cent commission from them and 9 per cent is additionally charged from the guest as a fee," he added.

Airbnb also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland to help build a sustainable tourism ecosystem that benefits local communities in the state.