It was exactly August 2008 when Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia put three inflatable mattresses in their San Francisco apartment, giving life to Airbnb, a travel platform that today has 4,5 million accommodations distributed in 81.000 cities around the world and already 300 million travelers who have used it. An exploded phenomenon, which between now and 2028 aims at one billion tourists a year and which for hosts is already a business: in these ten years they have earned over 41 billion dollars. However, there are shadowy points: from evictions to the tourist tax, up to the theme of turbo-tourism and sustainability. We talked about it with Matteo Frigerio, country manager of Airbnb in Italy: "Airbnb has made tourism more democratic, the real enemy is the offline, the black and the untraced, those who do not use electronic tools and are not present online".
Founded in August 2008, Airbnb is 10 years old and now operates in 200 countries and 81 cities around the world, with Italy among the main markets. How has it changed the way of doing tourism and what have been the most positive aspects to recognize this innovation?
“Airbnb has made travel more democratic, authentic and accessible through innovation and technology. It has given a chance to many hosts from all over the world, people previously excluded from the tourist industry, to participate actively, changing the face of the sector and finding a source of new income or cost reduction in their own homes. Travelers of yesterday, today, and increasingly those of tomorrow starting with millennials and generation Z, don't want to feel like a piece of an organized trip, but a temporary citizen of the place they visit. Airbnb gives hosts and travelers a tool to meet and share a moment of their lives like a local.”
With what numbers is Airbnb in Italy celebrating this first decade of life? In what position are we as hosts, in terms of number of visitors, turnover and user satisfaction?
“In 10 years of life, Airbnb has transformed from a group of 3 visionaries with an air mattress, to a large global community that offers the world 5 million listings, on which 300 million people have traveled. Italy is a key country in this extraordinary ecosystem: we are permanently the third country in the world after the USA and France in terms of number of advertisements (360.000). Last year we recorded 7,8 million arrivals in Italy for an average stay of 3,4 nights, higher than the national average. In Italy, thanks to Airbnb, small groups of travelers arrive to explore the country, discovering its greatness and exceptional uniqueness. Airbnb would not be the same without our country".
For the next ten years, Airbnb aims to reach one billion guests a year, worldwide. And how does Italy want to get to 2028? Is it a phenomenon destined to consolidate, to grow or is it in danger of imploding? What must he do to survive?
“As an Italian system, we have a duty to be creative and innovative: to date, data tell us that Italy remains among the top 5 destinations in the world for tourist arrivals, and we see the same in Airbnb, but France is still far away and remains the most visited country, Spain runs and the countries of North Africa recorded a +15% of international arrivals in 2017 alone. Having said that, tourism in Italy is growing and will continue to grow, according to Istat and Mibact 2017 data; we also know that tourism will continue to evolve in the sense of experiential travel: already today 79% of travelers on Airbnb say they have chosen our platform to "live like a local". This is the crucial issue: we can and must count on local excellence, a mix of diversity and uniqueness that no other country in the world can boast. At Airbnb we are aware that the real asset and the key to the success of tourism in Italy are people, scattered throughout the country. We want to take on the responsibility of pursuing sustainable growth, even in rural and peripheral areas, so that Airbnb becomes a true end-to-end travel destination. The dream is that anyone planning a trip, particularly to Italy, immediately thinks of Airbnb and hosts as the answer to their wishes, or lets themselves be inspired by us. An example? In 2016 we launched Airbnb Experiences: Experiences hosts don't share a home with the traveller, but their own time, talent and know-how. Here too Italy excels: it is in second place in the world behind only the United States for the number of Experience bookings, and during 2018, declared the Year of Food by the MIBACT, the Food Experiences on the portal were the most booked in the world on the platform and currently represent 37% of the offer with almost 600 experiences available. We will act as an amplifier of Italian excellence, giving an innovative tool both to the hosts, which these excellences represent, and to the guests, as well as to the PA, for which we want to continue to be a credible partner. We already collaborate with 18 Italian Municipalities to which we will pay at the end of the year, confirming this step, around 20 million euros in tourist tax collected and paid automatically, guaranteeing 100% collection on overnight stays made via Airbnb".
The European Commission has recently challenged Airbnb for unfair practices on price transparency, refund methods and clauses, not excluding sanctions by the end of August. Can you explain the terms of the matter and how you intend to address it?
“We take the Commission's findings seriously and our commitment to the community is for maximum transparency. Before proceeding with the booking, guests are made aware of all expense items, including service costs and taxes. We will work with the authorities to clarify the points that have been raised."
A new government took office in Italy a few months ago. How do you evaluate the predisposition towards the sharing economy from the first steps? What are you going to ask the new executive, from a regulatory and bureaucratic point of view?
“We come from a key week in which the Government has officially launched the era of the Ministry of Made in Italy. I think this is a commendable initiative and I can't wait to be able to meet Minister Centinaio to tell him about the great work we are doing and we want to continue doing precisely on the rediscovery of the Italian territory and products. We are actively supporting small producers, farmers and artisans: we have recently started a partnership with CNA to ensure that their affiliates can offer an Airbnb Experience on the platform and diversify their sources of income, discovering the tourism potential of their own business. I also hope that the Government will collaborate with us for a comprehensive reform of the non-hotel sector, which overcomes the old rules on rents, the thousand local interpretations and which unleashes the potential of a country where 80% of people live in a house owned and where there are still 3 million empty and unused second homes”.
However, Italy is not a particularly hostile country to Airbnb. The protests in other European countries were much more ferocious: in Spain, especially in Barcelona where Mayor Colau declared war, in France in Paris, in Portugal, where the government has recently even intervened to protect the inhabitants from evictions, and most recently in Germany. What does it have to say about this? This climate does not exist only in Europe: a few days ago New York too issued a tightening.
“Every country is different and we have always met with politicians and governments around the world to understand what issues are important in local communities, and be part of the solution to the problem. Since July, for example, we have begun to collect the tourist tax in 23.000 French municipalities, including Paris, which join the over 400 in the world where the collection is active, including Porto and Lisbon”.
In Florence, according to a study, 18% of accommodations in the center are rented on Airbnb. There is no risk of encroachment by tourists, the so-called turbo tourism, especially in the historic centers of our cities of art? In Venice, too, people are starting to talk about limited numbers: how does Airbnb stand on this issue, especially in a country like Italy, with a very high tourist flow?
“As I said, we carefully follow the evolution of the sector and work towards the growth of sustainable tourism. Airbnb recorded 710.000 arrivals in Florence last year, and a Florentine host typically hosts 80 nights a year. These are numbers which, compared to those declared by the city, do not give an alarm signal, as the administration itself says. That said, we have a well-established relationship with the Municipality (also thanks to the collection of the tourist tax in the city) which we plan to continue to cultivate. We are also very attentive to the issues of Venice, where arrivals via Airbnb represented around 2017% of the total in 2, and for which we have recently launched a campaign on respect for the city. With regard to the proposals for regulatory evolution, we are happy to play our part in the debate on flow management. It remains essential to base every strategy on certain numbers, not on generic estimates, and to focus on the real enemy: the offline, the black and the untracked, in fact those who do not use electronic tools and are not present online”.
How will you celebrate the first decade of life? What are the new features that you will offer hosts and customers to celebrate ten years?
“We want to celebrate by looking to the next 10 years. In particular, we want to pursue the success of the host community, starting with home hosts, to whom we have reserved various initiatives. First of all, four new types of accommodation, in addition to the three already existing (Entire House, Private Room and Shared Room): Holiday Homes, Unique Accommodations, B&Bs and Boutique Hotels. Then new categories: Airbnb Plus, homes verified for quality requirements, Airbnb Beyond, the luxury sector, and Airbnb Collections, perfect homes for any occasion, such as a family or business trip. Finally, we've renewed our commitment to the community, with an update to the Superhost program and a new guest membership program launching later this year. The idea is that of an Airbnb for everyone, where every host can better define their own space and every guest can find accommodation that is perfect for their idea of travel".
