Calling all digital nomads

Airbnb partners with Tourism Authority of Thailand in bid to attract aspiring remote workers

Airbnb partners with 20 destinations around the world, including Thailand, to make it easier to live and work anywhere.

Earlier this year, the online accommodation booking company launched its “Live and Work Anywhere” initiative to identify some of the world’s most remote destinations for workers. The aim is to help governments and destination marketing organizations revive tourism and provide economic support to communities after more than two years of travel restrictions.

In Thailand, Airbnb said it will work with the Tourism Authority of Thailand on a series of initiatives, including building a dedicated, bespoke hub for Thailand that will feature the best local long-stay listings as well as as important information regarding entry requirements and visa policies to attract remote workers.

Airbnb will also partner with Thailand on educational campaigns to promote responsible accommodation and travel as a remote worker. A dedicated hub for Thailand is expected to launch later this year.

Airbnb’s destination partners (see list) range from entire countries to smaller, lesser-known cities and have been selected based on their appeal to remote workers and the progressiveness in changing policies likely to affect them. attract a new kind of traveler.

The initiative builds on work done during the pandemic when Airbnb partnered with more than 160 governments and destination marketing organizations to specifically support efforts to encourage the return of tourism, including through work at distance.

Millions of people are now more flexible about where they live and work, the company said. As a result, they spread to thousands of towns and cities, remaining for weeks, months, or even entire seasons at a time. In the first three months of 2022, searches for international solo travel to Thailand for long-term stays increased by more than 50% compared to the same period in 2019, according to data collected by Airbnb.

Notably, about one in five guests globally said they used Airbnb to work remotely while traveling in 2021 — a trend that continued into the first quarter of 2022, with long-term stays at an all-time high, more than doubled compared to the first quarter of 2019. They essentially “live” on Airbnb as guests and have already planned stays in more than 72,000 cities and towns this summer.

Research from Harvard Business School shows that while digital nomads, and remote workers in general, can be a boon to any economy, they could also play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship in communities where they stay, creating “tech clusters” around the world.

“In the two years since the start of the pandemic, a new world of travel has emerged in which many workers are not tied down to a desk. By collaborating with these destinations, we want to make it easier for workers to take advantage of this flexibility and support the return of safe and responsible travel,” said Nathan Blecharczyck, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb.

“We know that travel provides significant economic opportunities for local communities and connects people around the world. We are excited to launch this one-stop-shop for anyone planning to join the millions of workers who are already taking advantage of this new trend of flexibility of work and travel.”

“Thailand has long been a destination of choice for remote workers and long-term travelers around the world. Strong local infrastructure, community access and a wide variety of unique accommodations for longer stays continue to attract visitors from all over the world, as well as our warm hospitality and unique culture,” said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Deputy Governor for National Marketing at the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

“As we seek to rebuild the country’s tourism sector and accelerate recovery, we are honored to partner with Airbnb as part of its global Live and Work Anywhere initiative to attract long-term travelers to Thailand.”

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky told employees they could work from anywhere. In the first week after the announcement, Airbnb received more than one million visitors to its careers page.

Next month, ‘Live Anywhere’ participants will complete their year-long ‘living on Airbnb’ adventure, which has seen them visit nearly 80 locations around the world, from Thailand to Scotland and Korea. from South.

DIGITAL DESTINATIONS

Countries and cities chosen for promotion by Airbnb:

• Baja California Sur, Mexico
• Bali, Indonesia
• Brindisi and Puglia, Italy
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• The Caribbean
• Canary Islands, Spain
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Colombia
• dubai
• Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Malta
• Mexico City
• Palm Springs, California
• Queensland, Australia
• rural france
• Salzkammergut, Austria
• Tampa Bay, Florida
• Thailand
• Tulsa, Oklahoma