According to a recently released report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), In 2019, Indian women earned more than Rs 100 crore ($14 million) on Airbnb, where they now make up 34 percent of Airbnb’s Stays hosts and 40 percent of Experience hosts. Airbnb has hosted three follow-up workshops in the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts and has hired a dedicated resource in Mumbai to coordinate partnership and implementation efforts.
As a case study, middle-aged Indian woman, Gauriben is one of the many women who started hosting after taking part in Airbnb’s home-sharing training workshops. Her house lies in the village of Bakutra in Gujarat province and offers three small rooms with cots, topped with intricately hand-embroidered sheets.
As an Airbnb host, she has welcomed guests from around the world and now earns more in a month from hosting on Airbnb than from an entire year of harvesting crops.
With several reports stating how financially liberating hosting with Airbnb has been for many women globally, and how women in South Africa are getting on the hosting train with Airbnb, I start to wonder if hosting with Airbnb could be the next best thing for women empowerment in Africa.
Find the IFC Report here.
