Airbnb’s ‘Trips’ to provide local ‘experiences’ for travellers in India

Home-sharing company Airbnb launches the Trips platform in India, will allow tourists to experience local experiences in a city. CEO Brian Chesky announces the launch with exclusive fashion-show.

With this launch, Airbnb will not just focus only on home stays. This service was launched in Los Angeles and is now present in many more cities.

Brian Chesky, CEO & Co-founder, Airbnb, was the show stopper at an exclusive fashion show presented by Shantanu & Nikhil to mark the launch of Airbnb Trips in India.

Mandira Bed at the Airbnb Trips launch.

I love my job! The setting, the people, my outfit, the show itself, was just perfect last night 😊 #airbnb #aboutlastnight #ootn

A post shared by Mandira Bedi (@mandirabedi) on Mar 20, 2017 at 1:48am PDT

Sonam Kapoor at the Airbnb Trips launch.

Thank you for such a great evening @airbnb and @bchesky ! your #trips in india are going to be super epic!

A post shared by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Mar 19, 2017 at 12:45pm PDT

“Last night, I learned the art behind fashion. Instead of seeing clothes on a rack, I got to meet the designers and their employees and truly appreciate the art and craftsmanship behind the fashion. Experiencing it through the local Indian culture made it all the more special,” Brian.

I've always been curious about the fashion world, but I never knew much about it. For the launch of Airbnb trips in Delhi, I took "Journey of Couture" fashion experience with @elissapatel. We arrived at this famous couture house which dresses many Bollywood talents to meet two incredible designers and Airbnb hosts @shantanunikhil. They showed us how design is conceived and patterns are made. We learned how to cut and tailor fabric. Best of all, they dressed me in Indian attire, and I got to walk in an actual fashion show. To be honest, I felt pretty short and out of place, but I thought "Well I haven't walked in a fashion show before but I do have experience walking…" Last night, I learned the art behind fashion. Instead of seeing clothes on a rack, I got to meet the designers and their employees and truly appreciate the art and craftsmanship behind the fashion. Experiencing it through the local Indian culture made it all the more special.

A post shared by Brian Chesky (@bchesky) on Mar 20, 2017 at 10:18am PDT

Brian says he has always been curious about the fashion world, although he admits that he never knew much about it. But fashion designers Shantanu and Nikhil not only dressed Brian in an Indian attire, they also made him the show-stopper in an actual fashion show.

And these same experiences can now be had by travellers in India.

“We are expanding beyond accommodation, but taking the same people-focused approach to the entire trip. I’m excited to launch India Trips today as we have handpicked unique experiences, designed and led by locals, to reflect the diversity and variety of the city. Airbnb Trips will offer locals and visitors alike the chance to immerse themselves in the people, places, and experiences that make the city unique,” Brian Chesky.

So what sort of experiences tourists can enjoy (and book via Airbnb)? Here are a few that are already operational in Delhi.

• ‘Journey of Couture’, in association with celebrity fashion designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil. Tourists will get the opportunity to checkout their designer studio, meet artisans, and get to see and learn more about their ‘behind-the-scenes’ work.

  New on Airbnb: Trips in New Delhi.

  Now you can experience couture with @shantanunikhil at their design studio.https://t.co/x2FINX9OHy pic.twitter.com/pqeGgGlD7v

  — Airbnb India (@Airbnb_in) March 19, 2017

  
  

• Fond of music? You can spend time with Delhi’s jazz-classical duo Aninda Bose and Pavitra Chari, who will host a three-hour session of songwriting and music production for their guests.
• Like photography? You can book a tour of ‘Museo Camera’ – which showcases over 1,500 cameras – led by professional photographer Aditya Arya.

Brian Chesky—along with Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk—started Airbnb in 2008. The company now operates across the world and according to CNBC, Airbnb is now valued at approximately $31 billion, up by $1 billion since September 2016.