On the sidelines of the launch of the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy in Goa, Amanpreet Bajaj, the general manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Airbnb, outlined the brand’s plans and growth strategy for India in a conversation with THE WEEK.
Before assuming his expanded role covering Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan and leading Airbnb in India, Bajaj co-founded and headed operations at online consumer electronics retailer LetsBuy.com. e-Commerce giant Flipkart later acquired Letsbuy. He is also a gifted graphic designer and avid gadget explorer who loves travelling and experiencing new cultures. Amanpreet Bajaj spoke to THE WEEK in Goa.
Q/ Why is the recently launched Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy in India significant for Airbnb in India?
A/ Airbnb signed an MoU with the Department of Tourism Goa in 2022, and one of the key points of that MoU was to do capacity building in areas in Goa that are beyond the beaches, focusing on hinterland Goa and the underserved communities. We launched the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, aimed at two focus areas: upskilling and resourcing participants. We selected a diverse set of 50 participants from across Goa, comprising homestay owners, potential homestay owners, tourism students, and first-time entrepreneurs who want to take part in the tourism economy. We trained them through webinars and workshops for almost four days and went into details in terms of subjects such as basic hospitality training, culinary skills, understanding the technology, and leveraging it to build businesses—starting with Airbnb as a platform if they have a home or if they are managing someone else’s home and benefiting from the tourism economy. The other aspect is networking. What we are also providing is a platform for these participants who want to learn from each other, bringing in best practices from each other.
Q/ Why did you set up the academy in Goa? Any plans to set up similar academies elsewhere in India?
A/ Goa has been the fastest-growing market in India for Airbnb. We have observed a 20 per cent growth in nights booked year-over-year (from the first quarter to the third quarter of 2024) in Goa. At the same time, Goa is dominated by group and couple travel, driven by millennials and Gen Z. Goa is also the most-booked destination for inbound travellers. Besides this, we have witnessed growth in the state’s homestay sector. We already have an MoU with Goa Tourism (2022), which promotes Goa’s hinterlands and unique homestay ecosystem. There is also a focus on wellness tourism in the state, which showcases serene hinterlands and promotes homestays. Goa also witnessed domestic growth of 30 per cent in nights booked by Indian guests. Goa is also the most booked by international guests, followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu. Yes, we will take this experience to other states in the country as well.
Q/ What would be the primary focus of this academy?
A/ The academy will be focused on upskilling and hospitality—developing hospitality skills and culinary skills for people to have a memorable stay. It will also focus on the experiential side as there has been a rise in experiential travel, mainly dominated by Gen Z and millennials, who value experience more than anything else. What we have seen post-COVID is the rise of a responsible and conscious traveller. We have also seen a rise in sustainable travel and eco-friendly practices in tourism, and this is now translating into the choices of consumers. Our aim is to continue on these subject areas. I think the use of technology is very important as today digitisation has made it very easy to get information about new places, which was not possible in the past. We are a global platform which is present in more than 220-plus regions. Post this training, a person in Goa is able to open their place with a rich cultural heritage and somebody in a remote part of Finland looking at our platform may show interest in coming [to the place]—it is the power of technology. We want to train people on digital strategy and help them make their own hosting more powerful using tools on the platform.
Q/ Has Airbnb got similar academies elsewhere in the world?
A/ This is a global initiative, and we have launched this in 12-plus countries, including India. Over the past two years, we have partnered with over 30 organisations. The Department of Tourism in Goa has been a big partner for us in this initiative.
Q/ What would be Airbnb’s focus areas in India?
A/ Our focus areas would be more on the technology side. In the last three years, we have made more than 300 upgrades to our service, and these are tools which make it easy for people to host their homes for stays and easier for them to price as we do not get into the pricing aspect as such. We let the host decide the price. The key strength of our platform is the diversity of options that we have, and there is an Airbnb for every price point, starting from Rs 800 to booking an entire villa, etc. Besides tourist destinations, we see very strong growth in urban centres as well. Today, we are present across 100-plus cities in India across multiple states.
