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The Ministry of Tourism and Airbnb have signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen India's homestay ecosystem and expand tourism beyond traditional hotspots, with the partnership focusing on host training, digital onboarding and destination promotion.
Under the agreement, Airbnb will act as a capacity-building and digital onboarding partner to the ministry, supporting prospective and existing homestay hosts with skills and tools to participate in the tourism economy. The collaboration will include host workshops and training resources covering listing creation, pricing, platform tools and hospitality practices, while Airbnb will also support the digital onboarding of homestay owners onto its platform. The partnership comes as the government seeks to promote lesser-known and emerging destinations and distribute the economic benefits of tourism more widely across local communities. Specific programmes and destinations will be jointly identified and implemented during the two-year collaboration, according to the ministry. The partnership will also support destination promotion initiatives aligned with the Incredible India campaign, aimed at showcasing India's cultural heritage, diverse destinations and local travel experiences. Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the country's tourism landscape was evolving, with travellers increasingly seeking authentic experiences that connect them with local culture, heritage and communities. "This presents an important opportunity to bring lesser-known destinations into the tourism mainstream while creating new avenues for homestay owners, local artisans, young tourism professionals and communities to participate in and benefit from the tourism economy," Shekhawat said. He said technology could help create greater opportunities for local communities and connect emerging destinations with travellers. Airbnb Country Head for India and Southeast Asia Amanpreet Bajaj said the partnership would support hosts with digital skills and tools while encouraging travellers to explore destinations beyond traditional tourism circuits. The company will also spotlight its 'Soul of India' digital microsite, which brings together destinations, local communities and cultural heritage to encourage travellers to explore lesser-known places. The partnership is expected to support a more distributed tourism ecosystem by improving the availability and visibility of homestays in emerging destinations and creating opportunities for local communities, the company said. (ANI)
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