Airbnb has revolutionised economies, democratised the tourism industry, and empowered the consumer by creating the niche entrepreneur. Best known as a private accommodation platform, Airbnb has since expanded its services to include personalised “Experiences”. Offered by local hosts (a.k.a you), now you can not only live as locals but engage others in your local passions too, and get paid for it. This form of localised sharing is more than just savvy tourism – we may be on the verge of a new form of “friending”, a social network where like attracts like IRL (in real life).
According to Forbes.com, Airbnb tested the waters with “offline experiences” back in 2014, offering local activities such as bike tours as a means to bump up the site’s revenue streams. Obviously the initial feedback was positive since they began to roll out the platform globally not two years later. Australia entered the fray around March 2017, with experiences as vast as the hosts are varied. Aside from Airbnb’s ability to roll out the infrastructure needed to facilitate the introductions and formalities, the reason why a platform like this works is due to the public demand for authentic experiences. And the locals are naturally equipped to offer that.
I know when I travelled through Italy, the really memorable experiences happened outside of, or rather in spite of, the guided tour. Being bussed about at speed through each must-see monument and guided by a foreign exchange student who was as familiar with the landmarks as we were, left us lacking connection. Rather, it was in those moments of “free time” when left to our own devices that we would got lost (literally and proverbially), and have to engage with the locals directly. THAT is when we actually felt seduced by the country’s charm and embraced by it’s people.
One afternoon I departed from the tour group to linger at the base of the Colosseum for an afternoon. Strangely, there were few people about, with the exception of three or four brides and grooms taking their wedding photographs in front of the monument. With no taxis in sight, I approached a limo driver to ask for assistance. But as his fare returned, I retreated so as not to intrude on their special day. To my surprise the driver and his backseat couple rolled up to me to let me know that a Saint’s Day was the reason for the deserted roads and the large number of weddings. Then he proceeded to ring several people until he secured a car to take me to my hotel. What I got from that encounter was a greater sense of Italian generosity, of local knowledge and even relief in my time of need.
Given that I am one of millions of travelers to experience this type of local outreach, it is not such a stretch to see why people would seek out local experiences on the front foot. To ensure quality and safety, Airbnb curates the list of experiences available by ensuring hosts are passionately versed and or qualified in their field of interest, alongside a more robust identity check and a $1 million public liability safeguard.
Speaking of safety, hosts like Andrew, a local Bondi boy and life guard who has starred on the channel 10 reality series Bondi Rescue, is more than qualified to show you the ropes. For one hour you can take a stroll with the local hero who will give you the lay of the land, teach you some swim safety and even shout you a coffee. Imagine; if this was a compulsory experience for all tourists unfamiliar with the dangers of Australian surf, think of the lives we could save and the flow-on effect of feeling safe and welcome in a foreign country.
Even if you are a considered local, there are activities enough to immerse yourself in whilst rediscovering your own backyard. Experiences can range from a 1-hour sampler up to several days with lodgings. Introducing you to new skills, people and knowledge that you previously didn’t have access to. The tailored list caters to skill-sharing and education as much as the adventure aspect. You can sign up to a craft lesson, take a behind-the-scenes tour from employees of an aquarium, or a walking tour to hidden eateries from food enthusiasts.
Whilst still a business operation for both the platform and the hosts, the experiences are very natural, organically formed and creatively controlled by the individual. Which means you can seek out the obscure or invest in self-development from someone who’s already mastered it. You may even find yourself among your kind of people, basically meeting up with a potential friend you didn’t know you had. Take expats looking to settle in to their new city, a traditional tourist platform would place them among the transient and surely show them the textbook sites, whereas a local guide could form an invaluable connection, introducing them to local clubs or facilitating introductions to other locals.
The fall out from consumer-based platforms is the impact it will have on commercial-run enterprises. Uber threatened the livelihood of the taxi industry, hoteliers took a hit from deserters opting for Airbnb, and now the tour trade will no doubt be knocked. Although they might claim to be targeting a different demographic, watering the pool of options surely will have a knock-on effect. In the case of the taxi industry here in Australia, who are seeking compensation and restrictions against the Uber-effect, I do not think it is warranted.
I am not without empathy for the affected, but what I would like to see is a shake up the industry to fall in line with public expectations. The public is opting out because they have a better option, so rather than a monetary compensation, if anything, what should be on offer is retraining and refinement of the industries falling behind the times.
Do you see the value of having both local and commercial run guides and do you think the two can live side by side without draining the other? If you’ve personally experienced an Airbnb ‘trip’ we’d love to hear your thoughts below.
