Airbnb Signs MoU With Indian Tourism Ministry To Promote Cultural Heritage And Tourism According to the company, under the MoU, it will also launch a dedicated 'Soul of India' microsite for the global audience showcasing India's rich culture and built heritage
By Teena Jose
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Online accommodation hosting platform Airbnb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Tourism to promote India's heritage stays and cultural tourism.
In a regulatory filing, Airbnb has said that, "The company will partner with the Ministry in its vision to promote inbound tourism as a part of its 'Visit India 2023' initiative and under the MoU, it will also launch a dedicated 'Soul of India' microsite for the global audience showcasing India's rich culture and built heritage."
It further added, Airbnb will also offer support to hosts in untapped tourist areas, assist them in promoting their homestays, build host capacity, and foster a culture of responsible hosting
"Homestay accommodations offer travellers a personalised, immersive and rooted in culture travel experience. This partnership will contribute to the growth of inbound tourism, create economic opportunities for local communities and position India uniquely on the global tourism map," said G. Kishan Reddy, Union Tourism Minister, Government of India, while signifying the importance of promoting cultural tourism and preserving heritage sites.
According to the company, under the MoU, Airbnb will endeavour to train hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in emerging destinations that are part of the Ministry's flagship scheme. Moreover, it would also share travel and homestay insights with the Ministry for informed responsible tourism policies and training requirements.
"This MoU represents an important collaboration towards unlocking new economic and social opportunities through tourism in India while bolstering the Incredible India brand and bringing the richness of what India has to offer to even more international travellers," said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb general manager - India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
