Airbnb announced it has paused new Experiences, an initiative that aims to give people a “local travel experience” and one the company said a year ago it was investing in.
“As part of our focus on perfecting the core service, including Airbnb Experiences, we are pausing submissions of all new Experiences,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. “We are excited about the future of Airbnb Experiences and expect to provide more information in the coming months.”
Airbnb said the pause of new submissions does not impact existing Experiences, which are activities led by local hosts.
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The pause comes a year after CEO Brian Chesky called Airbnb Experiences a “massive, massive opportunity” and a “big area of investment in the coming years.”
“We’re starting to ramp up that product this year … even more next year,” Chesky said in May 2022 during the company's earnings call. “You're going to see some major new offerings around Airbnb Experiences and a significant demand.”
Airbnb had previouisly put the product on hold due to the pandemic.
Stephen Joyce, vice president of solutions at Holibob, said part of the reason for this new pause could be because Airbnb doesn’t have any connectivity to third-party systems and requires Experiences hosts to use the Airbnb ecosystem to manage their bookings.
“For micro-operators this may not be an issue, but for anyone that has a more professional [i.e., full-time] operation using a distributor as a primary reservation technology is not an ideal situation,” Joyce said.
Professional operations are likely looking for distribution opportunities that are more plug-and-play. Airbnb can still support professional operators who need connectivity while still providing a highly curated experience for guests by using onboarding tools they have already built, according to Joyce.
“I would not be surprised if this pause is designed to give them the breathing room to take this next step in connectivity,” he said.
But Christian Watts, founder and CEO of Magpie Travel, a content and distribution system for tour and activity providers, said Airbnb Experiences never found its footing.
“Instead of having a
look around when it didn’t take off, they seemed to double down
on more of the same,” Watts said.
“It would be quite easy to get involved in the sector and
look at the likes of Viator and GetYourGuide, to see how and where to pivot. ... Hopefully,
they’ll relaunch with something that reflects actual demand for experiences, as well as encompasses their culture.”