Airbnb Reports Dubai Desert Classic Spike In Guest Arrivals
Global accommodation marketplace and experiences platform, Airbnb, revealed a major jump in bookings and arrivals to Dubai during the Dubai Desert Classic (24 – 27 January). One of the region’s most prestigious golf tournaments held at Emirates Golf Club, attracts thousands of domestic and international visitors each year. Guest arrivals on Airbnb are set to more than quadruple on the 24th January, the first day of the competition, when compared to average daily arrivals in January 2019.
The Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbnb in 2016, as part of its tourism diversification strategy. Big events have always driven traffic to Airbnb. Founders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky spotted an opportunity to make some money when a big design conference came to San Francisco, back in 2007. The city’s hotels were fully booked and visitors were struggling to find places to stay. The entrepreneurs rented out three airbeds on their living-room floor, cooked breakfast for their guests and began what was first known as airbedandbreakfast.com. Now Airbnb provides a platform of over 5 million places to stay in more than 81,000 cities and 191 countries worldwide.
