Indians set to embark on a revolution in how they live, travel and work
Airbnb’s research in India shows a shift towards an increased demand for flexible travel, nearby stays, and longer trips that allow guests to combine work and leisure
image for illustrative purpose
An overwhelming 73% of Indian travellers are looking at an expanded definition of 'business travel' - from travelling for business, to travelling for leisure while working remotely; 87% of Indians are now planning to work while travelling/living elsewhere and 48% of Indian travellers see travel as an integrated part of their life
The world is undergoing a revolution in how we live, travel and work. Technologies like Zoom make it possible to work from home. Airbnb is making it possible to work from any home. This newfound flexibility is bringing about a revolution in how we travel. Millions of people can now take more frequent and longer trips, travel to more locations, and even live anywhere on Airbnb.
As travel restrictions in India loosen, new research commissioned by Airbnb in India demonstrates a shift towards an increased demand for flexible travel, nearby stays, and longer trips that allow guests to combine work and leisure - and ultimately, to live anywhere.
To support hosts and guests through these changes, Airbnb has also unveiled over 50 upgrades and innovations across the platform's entire service to support this travel revolution.
"For Airbnb, 2021 has been a year of relentless innovation to refine our core service," said Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb. "This year we've delivered more than 150 upgrades and innovations. Our design-driven approach means that we're constantly improving our service to adapt to this changing world. For the first time ever, millions of people can now travel anytime, anywhere, for any length, and even live anywhere on Airbnb. This is a travel revolution."
A revolution is changing how we live and work, bringing about a revolution in how we travel. Bleisure travel is becoming more and more accessible for Indians as work becomes increasingly flexible. Airbnb is making it possible to work from any home - and ultimately, to live anywhere.
An overwhelming 73 per cent of Indian travellers are looking at an expanded definition of 'business travel' - from travelling for business, to travelling for leisure while working remotely; 87 per cent of Indians are now planning to work while travelling/living elsewhere and 48 per cent of Indian travellers see travel as an integrated part of their life.
Indian travellers are also looking at hosting more than before. Indians are also embracing hosting as a means of generating income and helping to funnel much needed tourism earnings into their local communities. Across India, 44 per cent of travellers would prefer to rent their home and travel either full time or part time sharing type accommodation formats. From March 2020 to September 2021, new Airbnb hosts in India collectively earned almost Rs 40 crores from welcoming guests on Airbnb.
Flexibility is the key now more than ever
More than ever before, Indian travellers (37 per cent of Indians) now look for flexibility in when, how, and where they travel. This trend is significant across generations and more evident in Baby Boomers at 57 per cent followed by Gen X and Millennials at 48 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.
Near is the new far
A trend prevalent since the beginning of the pandemic, travel within 300 KMs of home continues to drive demand for Indian travelers. 42 per cent of respondents to the YouGov survey said that they would continue to look at nearby stays. Moreover, 37 per cent of travellers continue to look at lesser-known destinations within India. Baby boomers, at 47 percent, are more likely than Gen Z, at 33 per cent to explore lesser known destinations across India.
In May, we introduced the Airbnb 2021 Release, with over 100 upgrades to improve every aspect of the Airbnb service. Today, we are introducing an additional over 50 upgrades that make it easier to host and support the changing needs of travelers, including: AirCover - Top-to-bottom protection. Free for every Host. Only on Airbnb; Translation Engine - The most advanced translation technology ever offered to our community; Accessibility Review - Every accessibility feature is reviewed for 100 per cent accuracy; I'm (even more) Flexible - Search for more unique homes up to 12 months in advance; Verified Wifi - Our new speed test tool verifies the speed of the wifi in a listing; Smarter Trips Tab - A redesigned Trips tab with all your must-have travel details; and Ask a Superhost Expansion - Connects new Hosts to a Superhost in their area for 1:1 help.
