Skift Take
But the bigger question remains: Can it successfully compete with the reigning "Airbnb of China," Tujia?
Continuing on his global tour of six cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky today announced a set of plans for conquering one of the world's largest travel markets: China.
Airbnb's game plan for growing its business in China involves rebranding from Airbnb China to a new Chinese name, "Aibiying" (爱彼迎), which translates to "welcome each other with love" and the debut of the company's newest product, Airbnb Trips, in Shanghai, which features peer-to-peer led tours and activities.
Additionally, Airbnb is investing in its talent and infrastructure in China, saying it will triple the size of its local workforce and double its investment in the market. China will be the only destination outside of the U.S. with its own dedicated engineering center. A quick glance of Airbnb's Careers page is proof the company is looking to hire plenty of engineers in Beijing.
All of this adds to plans already set in motion by the company in the last year to quietly build its business in China. The company spun off a separate company, Airbnb China, and also agreed to share data on its China operations with local officials to comply with a pending law that goes into effect this year.
Airbnb has also focused on building relationships with Chinese industry and government officials, integrating local payment methods like Alipay, offering sign-up options using WeChat, and providing 24/7 customer support in Mandarin. There were also rumors that Airbnb was planning to acquire another local homesharing platform, Xiaozhu.
Airbnb stated it will "rethink the core booking experience to go even further in meeting the needs of Chinese users" by "providing them with more information to help pick the right neighborhoods to stay in," most likely similar to how it already does in the U.S.
In a press statement, Chesky said, "There's a whole new generation of Chinese travelers who want to see the world in a different way. We hope that Aibiying and our Trips product strike a chord with them and inspire them to want to travel in
