Airbnb has been experimenting with experiences from content creators and plans
to add them to the platform in the next few months after pilots showed strong conversion.
Speaking during a media roundtable at the company’s Summer release, CEO Brian Chesky described
creator experiences as huge. He said he sees them becoming part of the future
of Airbnb Experiences “especially as travel becomes more personalized and driven
by communities.”
Speaking about the conversion rates Chesky said creators are good at marketing, create great listings and have their own audiences.
“The other thing we’ve seen with creators is they get a lot of local demand. Most experiences get travelers but if you’re a fan of something, you’re going to book in your own city so creators are also a gateway to local demand for experiences.”
He said he would have liked to announce the experiences as a fourth category after landmarks, food and events but they would come down the road. His comments come amid a squeeze for some elements of
the creator economy.
“Creators on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, they need to find other ways to make money. The posting is waning a little bit, the economics are
starting to go down. So, we are still leaning in,” Chesky said.
He described interest from creators coming to Airbnb as “really hot” adding
that with the “fatigue” in the market, the volume of influencers and resulting increased
competition are proving challenging for them.
“Also, there's a maximum, you can only post so much before it
feels very commercial and solicitous. So, there's got to be other ways to make
money," Chesky said. "The other thing we've heard from creators even more is they want to meet
the people following them. That being a creator, sometimes you want to know
who's liking your content, who's commenting. And a lot of these people want to
step inside your world."
*Reporter's attendance at the event was supported by Airbnb.