We interviewed Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk on the sidelines of the Destination France Summit in Paris. The opportunity to question him, in particular, on an old project in the air…
L’Echo tourisme: Are you still planning to launch an air “product”, as Brian Chesky (also co-founder) promised in 2016 , during your Airbnb Open event in Los Angeles?
Nathan Blecharczyk: Not in the near future. During the pandemic, we had to compromise. Unfortunately, we had to lay off, it was a difficult time. We made the decision to focus on our core business. We remain focused on accommodations and experiences.
Before the crisis, you worked on the construction of prefabricated housing and a building project in Florida. Are you going to develop a real estate activity?
Nathan Blecharczyk: These products are really meant to be case studies, to inspire the industry. This is not the way we want to grow our business. Our economic model is very different. We are a digital market platform, “asset light”.
Over the past two years, we have seen strong growth in rural tourism.
Are you taking part in the Destination France Summit, organized in the presence of Emmanuel Macron? Why was it important for Airbnb to be there?
Nathan Blecharczyk: France is an important market for Airbnb. This is the first, outside the United States. Paris was our number one city in the world in 2019. Over the past two years, we have seen strong growth in rural tourism in France. In particular, we relied on a partner, the Association of Rural Mayors of France. Today we announced a donation of $5.6 million to the Heritage Foundation , for the restoration of historic buildings that may be homes. These historic buildings can be amazing experiences for travelers and are a big hit on our platform. They are very old and require a lot of investment.
Will these restored historic and character houses be identified on the Airbnb platform?
Nathan Blecharczyk: We will identify them on our platform, explicitly, probably from 2022. Consumers will thus be able to know that a dwelling is a historic house, and how it has been renovated. We will also carry out marketing operations around the project, to draw the attention of travelers to these wonderful addresses. We will also work with the owners of these houses to jointly discuss the funds available and explain how tourism can be part of a sustainable path. We may connect them with Superhosts, which may help them better understand our platform.
You’re going to make a big announcement in a few days. Could you tease it for us?
Nathan Blecharczyk: We’ve been working very hard to improve the platform over the past six months until today. Our updates will better meet the expectations of travelers and their new habits.
