Scripting Success At Home

Airbnb Wants To Sign Up 50,000 Homestays In The Country Over The Next Two Years. It Could Disrupt The Hospitality Sector If It Succeeds.

- T. Surendar

Gharapuri island, which houses the famous Elephanta Caves, is just 10 km off Mumbai's coast. Every year, thousands of tourists throng the seven 5th to 6th century caves adorned with intricate Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. You’d imagine the Maharashtra tourism department’s crown jewel would have the best facilities, right? Wrong. As recently as March, the island did not even have permanent electric supply, leave alone basic infrastructure to support the rush of visitors.

Yet on a wet June morning, a state minister, government officials, and executives from San Francisco-based home-sharing company Airbnb gathered to announce a joint programme to identify 35 homestays on the island for people visiting the Unesco world heritage site. It was a win-win for both: The government was interested as homestays would bring in local employment; and Airbnb was happy because it would help expand its footprint in India, its next frontier in Asia. Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb co-founder and chief strategy officer, says the India story has just begun: “It will certainly rank as one of our most important markets just like China.”

Airbnb entered India six years ago and has grown at a rapid pace since then. Now, it is looking to move to the next level by stepping off the beaten track and entering areas that are not so big on the tourist map. So, instead of just being in big tourist destinations such as Goa (where it has 5,000 homestays) and Rajasthan, it is looking at relatively untapped locations in the hinterland such as the villages of Kutch in Gujarat and the hills of the northeast. As part of this plan, it aims to create 50,000 “hospitality micro-entrepreneurs”—in other words, homestays—in India over the next two years, says Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s head of global policy and communications.