Airbnb has today announced it will partner with 20 destinations around the world to make it easier to live and work anywhere, including Thailand, Bali, Lisbon, and the Caribbean.
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
Over the next few months, Airbnb will work closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand 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.
Airbnb’s 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.
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.
Research conducted by the Harvard Business School shows that while it is clear that digital nomads, and remote workers in general, can be a boon to any economy, they also might play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship in the communities where they stay, creating “technology clusters” around the world.
Nathan Blecharczyck, Airbnb co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, said: “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, we want to make it easier for workers to enjoy this flexibility and support the return of safe and responsible travel. We know that travel brings significant economic opportunity to local communities and connects people around the world. We’re 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.”
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing, Tourism Authority of Thailand, shared: “Thailand has long been a top destination for remote workers and long-term travelers globally. Strong local infrastructure, community access and a wide variety of unique accommodation for longer stays continue to attract visitors around the world, as well as our warm hospitality and unique culture. As we look to rebuild the country’s tourism sector and accelerate recovery, we are honoured to partner with Airbnb on its global Live and Work Anywhere initiative to attract long-term travelers to Thailand.”
The news follows on from Airbnb’s own remote-working policy, where co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky told employees they could work from anywhere. In the first week following the announcement, Airbnb received more than 1 million visitors to its career page – reinforcing the appetite people have to live and work anywhere.
And next month, the Live Anywhere participants finish their year-long adventure of living on Airbnb, which has seen them visit almost 80 places around the world from Thailand to Scotland and South Korea.
*Cities and towns expected to have guest check-in between June 1 to August 31, 2022, as of April 29, 2022.
