Rent-a-room giant Airbnb said Tuesday that it had provided accommodation for 1.2 million visitors to Africa over the last year -- double the previous year as tourism expands across the continent.
The website now offers more than 100,000 accommodation options in Africa, global public affairs director Chris Lehane said on a visit to Johannesburg.
"It's an incredibly rich and diverse continent, an incredibly dynamic place, certainly a big part of our future," Lehane told AFP.
Airbnb was founded in 2008 and offers accommodation ranging from single bedrooms to whole homes in 65,000 cities in 191 countries.
The company announced Tuesday that it would invest $1 million (850,000 euros) in Africa by 2020 to "promote and support community-led tourism projects".
"For many Africans, being able to turn their greatest expense -- their home -- into a source of additional revenue is good news," Lehane said.
"People create new economic opportunities for themselves."
Across the continent, South Africa is the most popular country for Airbnb rentals, followed by Morocco.
Source: AFP
GMT 15:55 2017 Thursday ,28 September
Airbnb enters restaurant reservation businessGMT 16:15 2017 Saturday ,12 August
Fines surge in crackdown on Airbnb owners in ParisGMT 13:18 2017 Wednesday ,22 March
Airbnb adopts new name, doubles investment to woo ChinaGMT 13:55 2017 Sunday ,12 March
Airbnb closes $1 billion funding round with war chest for growthGMT 15:01 2016 Friday ,18 November
Airbnb adds local activities, ramps up securityMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor