FRANCE’S RURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION GETS BOOST WITH €5.6M GRANT FROM AIRBNB

Airbnb is donating €5.6 million in a bid to revitalise heritage tourism in rural France. In partnership with the French rural Mayors association, the company will be the main sponsor of the “Heritage and Local Tourism” program of the country’s Heritage Foundation.

Airbnb’s donation to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage and Local Tourism” program will help fund the renovation of heritage buildings in rural France. This grant is provided to villages and hamlets in partnership with the French rural Mayors association. The Airbnb heritage tourism plan will promote historic communities, help preserve rural landmarks and create new economic opportunities for families and small businesses across France

To support the rural travel revolution and drive greater awareness of France’s rich diversity of heritage destinations, Airbnb will develop an inclusive plan to support property owners to make the best of the Airbnb platform to fund renovation of their heritage homes:

  • Developing a 3 years marketing and communications action plan dedicated to promoting French heritage tourism to national and international audiences.
  • Leveraging innovative platform technologies to make it easier for travellers to find and book heritage homes, while developing creative content strategies.
  • Launching a rural heritage listing bootcamp with the support of the rural mayors association, to educate property owners on opportunities to financially support their renovation projects by listing their homes on Airbnb. 

Airbnb supporting travel pattern changes

This commitment to rural France underscores the economic benefits being delivered to rural communities as a result of changing travel trends on Airbnb. In the first half of 2021, nights booked in rural locations were up almost 50% over H1 2019, and twice as many guests used Airbnb in Brittany than in Paris. Airbnb’s investment in rural France – combined with the economic benefits of travel on the platform – are delivering an unprecedented rural revolution that supports more families and communities. 

According to Nate Blecharczyk, Airbnb co-founder and chief strategy officer, “with more than 20,000 heritage sites listed on our platform in the country, Airbnb has become a key asset for owners in need of funds to renovate or preserve heritage sites in France.”

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