As Malaysia looks to reopen domestic travel in the coming months, Airbnb continues to steadily navigate the COVID-19 pandemic with hundreds of new local Hosts joining the platform in the first six months of 2021.
According to Airbnb, over 60% of new Airbnb Hosts in the first half of 2021 are comprised of millennials aged between 25-40.
The top five states where these new Hosts were based are Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah and Penang. Amidst the stop-start nature of Movement Control Order regulations from January to June, new Airbnb Hosts collectively earned over RM680,000 from welcoming guests on Airbnb.
This data follows Airbnb’s recent global announcement of more than 100 new upgrades across the platform, including making it easier to start hosting. Based on the Q1 2021 survey conducted by Airbnb, a third of Malaysian Hosts polled said the money earned through Airbnb provided an additional source of revenue for the household, and helped them stay afloat and fight costs of living during the pandemic.
Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan stated that 2021 has been proven as a challenging year as the pandemic has affected Malaysians in terms of livelihoods, business, and the economy.
“Hosting has offered many an additional source of income during a time of financial strain, providing economic empowerment for these new hosts,” he added.
He also assured that in conjunction with the eventual return of the travelling business, guest and hosts’ safety are always their priority. Additionally, they have also implemented the 5-Step Enhanced Clean Process, which is a set of cleaning and sanitisation standards that were developed in partnership with experts and endorsed by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
Amanpreet also emphasized that they are always committed to supporting Malaysia’s tourism recovery efforts.
“We work hard to find new ways to drive clean and safe travel.”
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Also read: Here’s Everything You Need To Know If You Want To Travel To Langkawi After 16 September
