Video content has always been an incredible growth driver for the tourism industry. Long before there was YouTube and social media, there were VHS tapes with travel guides of exotic locations across the globe. Now, it’s as easy as hitting up YouTube to find the top ten things you should do in Paris, for example. People do a lot of their research based on such content and Airbnb now wants a piece of that pie because it will help the company promote its platform.
You can rent a room in an apartment, an entire apartment, villa, an even an entire castle in some places on Airbnb. The platform also lets you book experiences in the cities that you visit so that you get the most out of your travels while it gets to make more revenue.
Reuters reports that Airbnb is setting up its own TV studio where it will produce documentaries, short films, and shows which will be used to promote travel. What do people need the most when they travel? A place to sleep and that’s where Airbnb’s platform comes in.
The report mentions that Airbnb has been working on this idea for a few years. It has thought about teaming up with existing production studios and entertainment companies or developing an internal studio that would promote locations, and feature experiences from Airbnb guests and hosts.
“We’re very much in the R&D phase here,” confirmed Chris Lehane, a policy and communications executive at Airbnb, who added that “It’s not just limited to video. It could be audible. It could be physical. The more we put content out there, the more you’re going to bring people to the platform.”
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