VisitBritain/VisitEngland have partnered with Experiences on Airbnb to promote and broaden local tourism experiences, drive visitor growth and boost the economy.
The £500,000 match-funded partnership will work with businesses and destinations to promote local experiences to domestic and international visitors, and grow and broaden the range of experiences available. It is expected that the partnership will generate an additional 83,000 overnight stays in the UK.
Experiences on Airbnb offers visitors handcrafted activities, tours and educational workshops led by local experts, and can range from a trip to a hidden jazz club with a local musician in Peckham, to trekking with llamas in the North York Moors National Park. The platform also offers a route to market for British businesses to host their experiences and grow their revenue stream.
The partnership will also work with businesses and destinations to encourage more Brits to holiday at home, collaborating with tourism organisations in Scotland and Wales to promote local experiences such as traversing Tarmachan Ridge in Scotland or kayaking on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales.
VisitBritain/VisitEngland Commercial Director Carol Dray said, “Our Experiences collaboration with Airbnb greatly amplifies our marketing reach and increases the range and depth of bookable tourism experiences locally, giving people more choice. We want to boost demand for travel right now, inspiring more young Brits to take ‘microgaps’ and be advocates for experience-based travel in Britain now and in the future, benefitting local businesses and boosting the economy.”
Hadi Moussa, Airbnb General Manager for Northern Europe said, “Britain has always been a hub of creativity and innovation, with many locals having diverse skills and unique talents that should be celebrated and shared. From young entrepreneurs to charities and small businesses, this new partnership will help open new streams of revenue for local businesses and destinations, while also promoting everything that Britain has to offer.”
A key focus of the partnership is to encourage more young Brits to take short breaks in the UK. Currently around half of UK domestic Experiences bookings on the Airbnb platform are made by 18 – 34 year olds, who are also the target for VisitEngland’s domestic campaign #MyMicroGap. Creative content in line with the campaign will run across Airbnb and VisitEngland’s online channel to drive traffic to bookable itineraries and experiences.
The partnership will also see a series of free regional workshops being held across the UK during March and April for destinations and local tourism experiences, entrepreneurs and charities. This will enable potential hosts to find out more about listing an Experience on Airbnb, designing an innovative Experience for visitors, and driving engagement on the platform through exciting visuals and compelling content.
