Filipino hosts of property rental platform Airbnb raked in over P207.5 million in revenues as of end-September.
Airbnb reported on Wednesday that the said earnings came from new Filipino hosts in March 2020 to September 2021.
This, as the company announced additional 50 upgrades in its offering to meet the changing needs of their customers.
“For Airbnb, 2021 has been a year of relentless innovation to refine our core service,” said Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb, said in a statement. “This year, we’ve delivered more than 150 upgrades and innovations. Our design-driven approach means that we’re constantly improving our service to adapt to this changing world,” he added. “For the first time ever, millions of people can now travel anytime, anywhere, for any length, and even live anywhere on Airbnb. This is a travel revolution.”
The upgrades include a new speed test tool verifying the speed of the WiFi in a property listing, translation engine, accessibility review and redesigned platform including the notable travel details, among others.
The property rental platform is taking its cue from the flexible working scheme that has become prevalent amid the pandemic.
“Over 70 percent of Filipinos polled said that staying in home-sharing type accommodation provides them with amenities that make it easier to integrate living with travel, and allows them to experience more unique, one-of-a-kind travel in local communities,” a YouGov survey commissioned by Airbnb revealed.
The study found out that 9 out of 10 Filipino respondents would like to work or travel “differently” given more work flexibility.
A third of the surveyed Filipinos want to integrate travel into their lifestyle.
Majority or 77 percent see “business travel” as a way to incorporate remote working with leisure travel.
Meanwhile, 45 percent of the Filipino respondents are open to renting out their homes and travel.