KUALA LUMPUR: Airbnb, the world's leading community-driven hospitality company, today announced a 99 per cent year-on-year growth in guest arrivals in Malaysia, having welcomed more than two million guests in the past year.
This makes Malaysia the fastest growing market for Airbnb in Southeast Asia.
There are now 44,000 listings in Malaysia on Airbnb, marking an almost 60 per cent year-on-year increase.
“Airbnb’s strong local growth reflects the increasing popularity of Malaysia as a tourist destination on the global platform as it continues to grow from strength to strength.
“Globally, the third quarter of 2018 marked the strongest quarter in Airbnb history, and the first quarter in which Airbnb recognised substantially more than US$1 billion in revenue worldwide. To date, there have been more than 400 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings around the world,” it said in a statement today.
Airbnb also announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Collaboration with the Malaysian Productivity Council (MPC), and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), as part of the company’s continuous commitment to empower Malaysia’s tourism industry.
It said both collaborations aim to drive inclusive, sustainable development of tourism in Malaysia through healthy travel and hospitality entrepreneurship.
As part of the agreement with MPC, Airbnb will share relevant data and best practices to inform recommendations on short-term accommodation policy in Malaysia.
Through this collaboration, Airbnb will assist MPC in shaping national policy plans related to the development of Malaysia’s tourism industry and infrastructure, as well as local communities.
Airbnb Southeast Asia public policy head Mich Goh said the company was committed to collaborating with governments around the world to drive healthy, responsible travel while empowering local hospitality entrepreneurs.
“With over two million Airbnb guests in Malaysia in the past twelve months, we are working closely with the government and local industry stakeholders towards fair, progressive, and innovative policies for short-term accommodation as we continue to promote local and authentic tourism in Malaysia,” she said.
Meanwhile, Airbnb’s agreement with MDEC is focused on promoting digital inclusion and empowering local hospitality entrepreneurs in Malaysia, while building capacity in both Homes and Experiences throughout the country.