Airbnb to expand into 'leisure hosting' activities

Accommodation listing website Airbnb is looking to expand into other services, says its co-founder.

Speaking to the BBC in Delhi, Nathan Blecharczyk said the firm plans to set up a system to pair hosts with guests for tours, sport and other activities. As an example, he said visitors might arrange to go for a bike ride with a local on a favourite route.

"What we've demonstrated is there's an immense appetite to travel more authentically and immerse yourself in culture... as opposed to having a commoditised experience," he said.

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"Maybe that's someone going for a bike ride on their favourite bike route or doing a game of Frisbee, something as simple as that. But connecting with real people having a good time, that's something not currently available in the professionalised world of hospitality.

"We're thinking beyond accommodation. What are the sort of things people are doing outside their home? How can we help them to better connect with the local spots, the local people?"

Travellers want to "experience a place like [they] live there" and hosts want to participate in giving their guests a good experience, he added.

Founded in 2008, Airbnb now operates in 34,000 cities across 191 countries. The privately owned company has been valued at £17.2bn.

Its rapid ascent has not been without controversy: in the US, civil rights campaigners have claimed the site's policy of encouraging users to post photographs of themselves and use their real first names facilitates racial discrimination. A study in 2015 found evidence of "widespread" racial discrimination by hosts using the site.

Airbnb operates in a grey area "beyond the reach of the hard-won reforms of the civil rights movement", says The Guardian today.

For its part, the company says it "require[s] all users to comply with local laws and regulations", including anti-discrimination legislation. It recognises that "bias and discrimination" happen on the site and says it takes action if it learns of violations of its anti-discrimination policy.