Sri Lanka Tourism ties up with Airbnb to offer local experiences
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Airbnb and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the national tourism ministry, announced a strategic partnership to launch Airbnb Experiences in Sri Lanka and drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism across the country.
Through this Asia-first partnership, Airbnb and SLTDA will work together to onboard local experience hosts onto the Airbnb platform and help local people from across Sri Lanka share their passions and interests with travelers from around the world. Travelers can now choose from more than 40 Airbnb Experiences in Sri Lanka designed and led by local experts.
“We’re delighted to sign this partnership with the Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry - the first partnership of its kind in Asia,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager India & Sri Lanka. “Through this Asia-first partnership, travelers, led by passionate local hosts, will be able to immerse themselves in unique cultural experiences across Sri Lanka.”
"We are excited to work with AirBnB to promote experiences in Sri Lanka and we are of the view that an engagement of this nature would be of great value to the tourism industry of Sri Lanka. We look forward to offer a high-level of commitment to support AirBnB Experiences and use this opportunity to add value to the tourism experience that Sri Lanka offers." - Kavan Ratnayaka, Chairman, SLTDA
“Through the partnership announced today, we’re excited to work with the Sri Lankan government to promote tourism that is local, authentic and sustainable,” said Thao Nguyen, Airbnb’s APAC Head of Strategic Partnerships. “Airbnb experience hosts are the embodiment of healthy travel. Our Sri Lankan hosts are local microentrepreneurs sharing their passions to earn vital income, while providing the kind of authentic experiences that tourists want.”
Launched in 2016 with 500 experiences across 12 cities, the Airbnb platform now offers over 15,000 experiences in 800+ cities. By the end of this year, we will have expanded into at least a thousand around the world.