Cuban Airbnb market doubles in just 40 days

Cuban Airbnb market doubles in just 40 days / 14ymedio
Posted on May 13, 2015

Cuba is Airbnb's fastest-growing market, Brian Chesky, the group's
executive director, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. The
company, based in San Francisco, began offering its services on the
Island this April, allowing travelers from the United States to rent
private rooms on the Island via the Internet.

"It has been forty days since we launched in Cuba. We started with 1,000
homes and now we have 2,000," Chesky congratulated himself. The success
is even more amazing when you take into account the fact that the vast
majority of homeowners do not have Internet and must resort to
intermediaries to offer their services.

The Airbnb director believes that US president Barack Obama's
announcement on December 17 of last year to restore diplomatic relations
with Havana has been a boon for the company, as have the relaxations of
the rules for travel to the Island, although they still don't permit
Americans to visit as tourists.

Chesky was in Washington on Monday to meet with the US president and
several businessmen to promote the Executive's global entrepreneurship
program. "The desire of President Obama is to unite the American and
Cuban communities," added the newly appointed staffer for the White
House on issues related to the Island.

On its website, the company founded in 2008 explains that "Airbnb
believes Cuba could become one of the largest markets in Latin America
group."

More than half of the rooms offered at the Island are in the capital
(with a price ranging from $23 a day for a room to $370 for an apartment
for nine people). The offers in other localities such as Morón,
Camagüey, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos are much more modest and prices
remain below the average for Havana.

Source: Cuban Airbnb market doubles in just 40 days / 14ymedio |
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