Airbnb partners with 20 destinations to attract remote workers

Friday, July 8, 2022

Airbnb has announced that the company will partner with 20 destinations around the world to make it easier to live and work anywhere, including Thailand, Bali, Lisbon, and the Caribbean. This will help to attract more remote workers in these destinations.

Earlier this year, Airbnb launched its Live and Work Anywhere initiative to identify some of the most remote worker-friendly destinations in the world, and support governments and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in helping to revive tourism and provide economic support to communities after two-plus years of travel restrictions.

The 20 destinations Airbnb will spotlight include:

• Baja California Sur, Mexico
• Bali, Indonesia
• Brindisi, Puglia, Italy 
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Caribbean
• Canary Islands, Spain
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Colombia
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Malta
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Palm Springs, California, USA
• Queensland, Australia
• Rural France
• Salzkammergut, Austria
• Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
• Thailand
• Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Airbnb will work closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) on a range of initiatives, including building a dedicated custom-built hub for Thailand that will showcase top local long-term stay listings as well as important information relating to entry requirements and visa policies to attract remote workers. Airbnb will also partner with Thailand on educational campaigns to promote responsible hosting and traveling as a remote worker. The Thailand hub is expected to launch later this year.

The destination partners range from whole countries to smaller, lesser known towns and were selected based on their attraction to remote workers and progressiveness in evolving policies for those looking to live and work in a different region and attract a new type of traveler. The initiative builds off work during the pandemic which saw Airbnb partnering with more than 160 governments and DMOs to specifically support efforts to encourage the return of tourism — including through remote working.

There are millions of people are now more flexible about where they live and work. As a result, they’re spreading to thousands of towns and cities, staying for weeks, months, or even entire seasons at a time. In the first three months of 2022, searches for international solo travel in Thailand for long term stays grew by over 50% compared to the same time in 2019.

Notably, about one in five guests globally reported using Airbnb to work remotely while traveling in 2021 — a trend that has continued into Q1 2022, with long-term stays at an all-time high, more than doubling in size from Q1 2019. They are essentially “living” on Airbnb as guests have already planned stays in over 72,000 cities and towns* this summer.

Nathan Blecharczyck, Airbnb co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, said that in the two years since the pandemic began, a new world of travel has emerged in which many workers are untethered to an office. In collaborating with these destinations, Airbnb want to make it easier for workers to enjoy this flexibility and support the return of safe and responsible travel. They know that travel brings significant economic opportunity to local communities and connects people around the world. They are excited to launch this one-stop shop for anyone thinking of joining the millions of workers that are already enjoying this new trend of working flexibility and travel.

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