Airbnb vows to ‘fight mass tourism’ with updated app

Airbnb vows to ‘fight mass tourism’ with updated app

Accommodation sharing site Airbnb has revealed plans to grow its business beyond home sharing and “fight mass tourism”.

Accommodation sharing site Airbnb has revealed plans to grow its business beyond home sharing and “fight mass tourism”.

The company has added millions of recommendations for tourists to a new version of its app, which will match travellers with neighbourhoods they would like, based on their profile and places they’ve stayed before.

Speaking to the Financial Times, co-founder and chief executive Brian Chesky said: “Travel has gotten a little sick.” Citing examples such as tour buses and the Louvre in Paris, he added: “No matter what you’re doing, you’re usually doing things that locals would never do.”

He said the company would be announcing new services later this year, hinting at activities including cooking classes and walking tours.

The San Francisco based company hosted 15million guests in the past three months.

Max Wolff, an economist at Manhattan Venture Partners said that Airbnb will start to provide more hotel services in the future.

“I think you will see all kinds of services — transport services, food services, luxury services,” he said. “They are starting to provide more of the services that hotels provide, because the higher-dollar traveller wants those services.”

The company was valued at $24 billion last year