Vacation rental company Airbnb and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) have entered into an agreement to start the Tourism Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme to boost tourism prospects in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Palghar districts. This is the first such initiative in the country.
“The programme aims to drive economic growth in local communities by helping micro entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector grow their business through four key pillars of support: training, enabling, access and promotion,” Airbnb and MTDC said in a joint statement.
Airbnb will create a training programme for MTDC to identify quality destinations, homes and entrepreneurs. It will train the selected entrepreneurs in technology, hospitality, financing, regulations and promotion. These could either be home owners or people willing to help homeowners rent out their rooms through Airbnb.
Airbnb and MTDC have decided to connect selected entrepreneurs with local partners to offer them access to technology, address language barriers and provide mentorship support. Once entrepreneurs are ready to host travellers, Airbnb will partner with content creators to promote homes to tourists around the world. MTDC will also use its promotional platforms to support the entrepreneurs.
The programme will be introduced fiirst n Elephanta village, where MTDC and Airbnb will associate with the gram panchayat, identify 35 homes and get them aligned with Airbnb standards. Hosts would be the first set of entrepreneurs in this programme.
V.K. Gautam, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Maharashtra, said, “In year one, we target to create and nurture 1,500 tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs. This will motivate tourism and open up new destinations and unique experiences for travellers.”
“In Airbnb, we have found a global partner whose vision is to create skilled micro-entrepreneurs in hospitality and the homestay ecosystem to expand Maharashtra’s tourism potential,” said Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Maharashtra.
Airbnb has committed to create 50,000 hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in India. “The launch of the Accelerator Programme is a major step towards realising our commitment and Maharashtra is our lead partner in creating a progressive, sustainable tourism ecosystem in India,” said Chris Lehane, Head of Airbnb Global Public Policy & Communications. He said India would be one of Airbnb’s top three markets globally. Last year, the company had 23,000 homes in its network in India and the number had grown to 31,000 homes by May 2018. Airbnb has been sharing its profits with MTDC to grow tourism in the State.
Meanwhile, Airbnb has announced the introduction of Experiences in Goa, a service that allows travellers to explore unique destinations through handcrafted activities designed by locals.
Airbnb offers over 12,000 ‘experiences’ across over 180 cities around the world, with bookers from over 73 different countries. In India, Goa is the second largest market after New Delhi. Mr. Lehane said, “We want Goans to participate and benefit from local tourism by sharing their interests and passions, enabling them to make additional remuneration. Experiences are also a great way for local residents to discover new things to do and new people to meet.”