Airbnb: Multiple opportunities for female entrepreneurs

BANGKOK –Airbnb celebrates the company’s global community of women who have found greater financial, professional, and social empowerment through entrepreneurship in digital tourism. In Thailand, Airbnb announced that women hosts earned a combined income of THB 2.8 billion in 2018, a 45% increase from the past year. The number of women hosts also grew by 22% in 2018.

Women hosts on Airbnb make up 53% of Airbnb’s host community in Thailand, where the typical annual income for women hosts is THB 78,000. The advent of technology has opened up multiple opportunities for female hospitality entrepreneurs who are passionate about driving a creative and meaningful tourism industry.

The opportunities available on the Airbnb platform now go beyond home hosting to Airbnb Experiences — unique, one-of-a-kind activities that are handcrafted and led by local experts showcasing a unique side of Thailand. The rapid growth of Airbnb Experiences in Thailand has enabled more women to become entrepreneurs by sharing their passions and skills. In Bangkok, women make up 60% of all Experience hosts on the platform.

Ms. Mich Goh, Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy for Southeast Asia:“We are thrilled to share that in 2018 alone, women around the world have earned THB 381 billion through the Airbnb platform, and represent more than half of the global Airbnb community. The women in Airbnb’s community are entrepreneurial and passionate, using Airbnb as a platform to earn additional income and showcase local tourism in a truly unique and authentic way.”

“This has expanded beyond urban centres to secondary cities and rural provinces in Thailand. From meeting Pranee, a home host in Saraburi, to hearing how Sa, an Experience host from the Karen Hill tribe in Chiang Mai, teaches tourists traditional weaving to provide financial support for her village, Airbnb is privileged to support women empowerment through our platform. We celebrate and uplift our community of women hosts around the world — not just this month, but every day.”

Airbnb’s data also reflects the growing percentage of women hosts across both first and second-tier cities, where access to technology encourages more female participation in the tourism industry.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), women make up more than 50% of the workforce in many countries’ tourism sector. Together with four other industry leaders in Thailand, Airbnb today reinforced its commitment and support for female hospitality entrepreneurs and the local Thai community during a panel discussion in Bangkok titled “Powered by Women: The Rise of Thailand’s Tourism”: