From a mattress in an apartment to a $20 billion company, Airbnb has grown at a crazy pace and is termed as one of the biggest disruptors in travel industry. It is world’s largest accommodation company and is still experiencing strong growth all across the globe. On October 20, during the WIT Conference, Julian Persaud, Regional Director, APAC, Airbnb shared his views on the role of Asia in growth of Airbnb. Here are some pointers we picked from ‘Coffee with Julian Persaud’.

Julian sharing Airbnb’s plans for Asian market

Key to success in China

Commenting on the growth the company in China, he said that one of the many reasons Airbnb picked up in China is because the modern Chinese travellers have a different state of mind. The trend has shifted from group travellers to independent travellers. Another contributor is the welcoming nature of hosts as most of them are older and don’t travel much anymore but appreciate young people coming to them and sharing their stories.

Data science and advertising

Persaud comes with years of experience of working with Google but when asked about the preferable advertising option, he stated that there is no bias towards Google. The marketing strategy includes a mix of different platforms and they favour whatever works best for them. Data science plays a very important role in the whole process to understand the impact of each channel. He also emphasised on the importance of innovative offline activities like they did in Korea by associating with Korean popstar G-dragon. Such activities drive word of mouth marketing and help a brand gain traction.

Learning from hotels

It was very obvious that the point will come up and Airbnb will be compared to the hotels. According to Persaud, Airbnb isn’t a substitute for hotels. Airbnb is more about experiences than just being a provider for accommodation. People prefer hotels for short stays and Airbnb for relatively longer stays but the line between the two is blurred.

Talking about Airbnb for Business, he said that 10% of the users are business travellers and most of them are people who have to stay for weeks. He said that they have a lot to learn from the hotels, especially the large hotel chains, on maintaining quality and being a better host.

Building around Airbnb

During the conversation, he talked about many startups that have been built around Airbnb and similar businesses. There are startups that will help control the appliances remotely to reduce electricity wastage or clear the wardrobe for guests. Persaud expressed that it is great to see such innovations and while Airbnb isn’t investing in these startups, things might change in future.

Experimenting for Indian market

Talking about the plans for Indian market, he said that Airbnb has a strong focus on India. Airbnb surely sees the local players like Stayzilla and TG Stays as strong competition but Julian said that competition is good as it prepares the market and they are still experimenting in India.

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We are reporting live from Marina Bay Sands, Expo Centre where ITB Asia has kick-started earlier in the morning today.  The ‘Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’, opened its doors with a power packed panel discussion on the next big things that will potentially drive the future of the travel industry.

At the opening panel represented by industry heavyweights including Expedia, Airbnb and the World Tourism & Travel Council (WTTC), personalisation, innovation and technology were cited as some of the leading industry growth drivers. 

ITB Asia 2015 Opening Press Conference and Panel Discussion (L to R): John Bailey, Managing Director, Ketchum Singapore (moderator), Dr. Christian Göke, Chief Executive Officer, Messe Berlin, Dr Michael Frenzel, Chairman, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Ms. Mieke De Schepper, Vice President, APAC Expedia Inc. and Mr. Julian Persaud, Regional Director for APAC, Airbnb, Inc.

As one would expect, mobile is the key growth driver for major players in the region. For Hotels.com, more than 1 in 4 of global transactions in Q2 were booked on a mobile device. Mieke De Schepper, Vice President, APAC the Expedia Group, stated, “We are investing in technology to enable our hotel partners to reach travellers in the way that they want to shop. The speed of innovation is faster than ever and the industry needs to focus on being nimble”.

Julian Persaud, Regional Director for APAC, Airbnb, stated, “The number of travellers looking for a local experience and staying in an Airbnb when they travel across Asia has grown by almost 400% in the last year alone. A growing number of these bookings are now made on mobile devices, a 60 times increase as compared to 2013, when the app was first introduced. Our success in the region would not be possible without a growing community of hosts in this part of the world who share their homes which has become a part of their lifestyle.”

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