Maharashtra Tourism has signed a deal with Airbnb, one of world’s leading community-driven hospitality companies, to promote affordable accommodation and genuine local experiences to boost tourism in the state.
Airbnb and the Government of Maharashtra will come together to boost tourism in the state by utilising Airbnb’s global lodging platform. Airbnb will assist home stays across Maharashtra by bringing them onto its global platform. Airbnb will also help provide information to its users on less-explored but high potential destinations in Maharashtra for a memorable travel experience.
Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra said, “Tourism is a key pillar for the State of Maharashtra and we are committed to increasing the number of global travellers to the State who could benefit our local communities. In a bid to attract foreign tourists, we have announced 2017 as “Visit Maharashtra” year. As our alternative accommodation partner, we look forward to working with Airbnb to achieve the goals of the Visit Maharashtra campaign. In Airbnb, we have found a like-minded partner who is keen to collaborate in growing tourism in Maharashtra. Through this partnership we aim to create at least 50,000 micro-entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector in the next five years, build the home stay ecosystem in the State and improve hospitality standards of home stay owners. We would also jointly promote destinations across 8-10 districts of Maharashtra in the coming year.”
Nitin Gadre, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Government of Maharashtra said, “We are excited about working together to promote Maharashtra’s tourism potential through joint promotion of Maharashtra destinations, and bringing an ever-increasing number of home stays and other unique accommodation options to Maharashtra.”
Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager – India, Airbnb said, “Airbnb and Maharashtra’s connection goes back to our roots. The first ever guest hosted by Airbnb’s co-founders came from Pune in Maharashtra. In the last few years, that connection has continued to strengthen through the State’s growth as a high priority market. It is extremely heartening to see the State government’s vision to develop and promote tourism in the State. We are honoured and delighted to partner with the Department of Tourism and MTDC in this journey.”
Today’s announcement builds upon Airbnb’s focused efforts to enhance its presence in India, showcasing the company’s intent to collaborate with both citizens and the government to contribute to the growth of a booming home sharing ecosystem, which holds immense promise for tourists – domestic or international.
