AS more COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the country, many Filipinos are also realizing that they need to be vaccinated–for so many reasons.
One of which is they want to get out of their homes safely after a one-and-a-half-year seclusion because of continuing restrictions in mobility.
And now, as more Filipinos get vaccinated and allowed to go out slowly but surely, the Philippines is beginning to relax domestic travel restrictions, Thus, Airbnb continues to steadily navigate the COVID-19 pandemic with hundreds of new local Hosts joining the platform in the first six months of 2021.
The company announced that Filipino Gen Zs and millennials are the driving force behind Airbnb’s growing community of Hosts in the Philippines, with over 68 percent of new Airbnb Hosts in the first 6 months of 2021 comprising Gen Zs and millennials aged between 18 and 40.
Despite hosting during small windows of opportunities due to the start-stop order of travel restrictions between January to June, new Filipino Hosts have collectively earned over P21 million welcoming guests on Airbnb. Metro Manila, Tagaytay, and Metro Cebu also emerged as the top cities where new Airbnb Hosts are hosting.
Tourism is a significant contributor to the Philippine economy and employment. In 2019, research from Oxford Economics revealed that Filipino Airbnb Hosts contributed US$1 billion to the country’s GDP and supported over 160,000 jobs.
Meanwhile, guests on Airbnb spent over US$930 million, representing 1.2 percent of the country’s total tourism spending in the same year.
Through the pandemic, hosting has emerged as an important economic lifeline for many Filipinos to make ends meet and support their families. A Q1 2021 survey by Airbnb reveals that 57 percent of Filipino Hosts polled said the income they’ve earned through hosting has helped them to stay in their homes, and over half said they want to find more ways to host with Airbnb. Over a third of Filipino Hosts also said they share recommendations with guests on their favorite local restaurants and businesses within their community.
“This year’s World Tourism Day calls for more inclusive growth that advances prosperity for more communities and drives more sustainable development. It’s a call for our tourism industry to reset and rebuild tourism in a way that benefits more people and communities than ever before. As more Filipinos turn to hosting with Airbnb to support themselves and their families during this time of need, we remain fully committed to empowering our Hosts to provide unique, family-friendly, and clean, responsible travel,” shares Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Earlier this year, Airbnb introduced more than 100 upgrades across its platform, including a new simplified 10-step process for anyone to become a Host. It also launched seven Host clubs this year across the Philippines to empower Hosts to connect, collaborate and support each other as well as their local communities, by sharing advice and best practices on hosting.
During the pandemic, Airbnb launched its Airbnb Enhanced Clean protocol, an industry-first set of cleaning and sanitization standards designed with guidance from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure peace of mind for the community.
The company also continues to support and strengthen the communities its Hosts call home, amidst the unprecedented changes brought about by the pandemic. In June, Mercy in Action, Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc., Haligi ng Bata, Inc. and Reach Out and Feed Philippines were among the first 150 grant recipients of the inaugural Airbnb Community Fund, which will distribute US$100 million over 10 years to organizations around the world.