Airbnb has signed MoUs with the North Eastern Council (NEC), the North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and two key livelihood initiatives, North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) and North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), with the aim of creating hospitality micro-entrepreneurs across key destinations in the North East of India.
The need for economic development in the North Eastern Region for holistic growth of the nation has been amply stressed upon not just by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), but also by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Through the partnership, the NEC, NETDC and Airbnb will collaborate to boost tourism and create positive travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors to the North East of India.
Airbnb’s MoUs for strategic partnerships with the NERLP and NERCRMS to generate technology-enabled livelihood opportunities in tourism and hospitality for micro-entrepreneurs in the North East of India, and to help low-income families monetize their existing assets through home sharing. Under these agreements, Airbnb will provide training to core teams of the NERLP and NERCRMS, which will further train existing and potential hosts on home sharing, responsible hosting, hospitality standards, hygiene and basic amenities.
“The development of the North East Region is of prime importance for the overall inclusive growth of India, and tourism development has always been one of our key focus areas, keeping in mind the North East’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. This MoU with Airbnb is a step towards achieving our aim of doubling tourist growth rate in the next three years, by creating more sustainable accommodation options and enhancing the hospitality service standards in the region,” said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Honourable Minister of Development of North Eastern Region.
“We are excited about working closely with the Government to promote the enviable tourism offerings of the North East of India. Last year, during Brian Chesky’s meeting with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Airbnb had committed to develop a homestay ecosystem through adequate skills training and development and promote India’s high potential tourism offerings to the world; and the North East was an inevitable choice. We look forward to supporting the economic growth of the North East by drawing more tourists to the region,” said Kum Hong Siew, Regional Director, Airbnb Asia Pacific, who was in Delhi to formalize the partnerships.
