Airbnb today announced that its global accommodation and experiences platform will be available in Arabic to enable its growing community across the Middle East and North-Africa region to access an even more seamless travel experience.
The localized web platform and iOS and Android apps are part of Airbnb’s ongoing commitment to the region and will further Airbnb’s mission to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. All of the popular features of the Airbnb platform will be accessible in Arabic: listing pages with thousands of homes bookable for great stays, Experiences around the world and lots of content on how to travel or host with Airbnb.
Airbnb has a strong and growing presence in Dubai and beyond: hosts and guests across the Middle East and North-Africa region have been using the platform since it was founded 10 years ago to book accommodation globally or list their homes to welcome guests.
Airbnb has also released new data to show that across the Middle East and North-Africa region more than 70,000 listings are now available to book on the Airbnb platform. As of 1 January 2019 in the UAE, 10,000 listings were available on the Airbnb platform and hosts in the UAE welcomed more than 145,000 guests from around the world – showing more than 63% year-on-year growth.
As part of its commitment to the region, Airbnb signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Tourism (DTCM) in 2016 and with Ras al Khaimah in 2018 to encourage responsible hosting within the emirates as well as promote tourism diversification. Last year Airbnb partnered with DCT Abu Dhabi to promote Emirati Experiences that allow guests from around the world to live like a local.
Hadi Moussa, Regional Manager Middle East & Africa, at Airbnb said: “The Middle East and North-Africa region is extremely important to us, so we are delighted to launch Airbnb in Arabic today. People from across the region have been using Airbnb since it was founded ten years ago to book magical travel experiences. We want to create a true sense of belonging for them by ensuring they can do so in their native language going forward. We want to inspire more Arabic speaking travelers to explore their favourite destinations through authentic, local stays and Experiences on the Airbnb platform.”
“Arab hospitality is famous around the world. Airbnb wants to encourage more people in the region to host and share this warm welcome with guests from around the world.”
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “The continued success of Dubai as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations relies heavily on a collaborative and cohesive framework between the government and private sectors, helping democratise the local travel industry in line with evolving traveller needs. As such, our ongoing partnership with Airbnb helps Dubai maintain its global competitiveness in a highly digitised marketplace by showcasing the city’s multi-dimensional accommodation portfolio in a safe, secure and transparent manner. The latest updates to the platform help us to deliver additional convenience and ease of accessibility to digitally connected consumers, driving demand-led innovation, and advancing the city’s appeal to diverse audience segments around the globe.”
In 2017, Airbnb also launched the Experiences platform in Dubai. Experiences on Airbnb are tours and activities, led by passionate locals, which enable travelers to the Emirates to enjoy the famed Arab hospitality first hand. Across the Middle East and North-Africa region, there are currently more than 750 Experiences on Airbnb active in Jordan, Morocco, UAE, Egypt – with more than 120 Experiences in the UAE.
