New Delhi: Airbnb, on Monday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Tourism to promote India’s heritage stays and encourage cultural tourism.

Airbnb signed the MoU in the presence of Union Tourism Minister G Krishnan Reddy, Secretary for Tourism V Vidyavthi and Airbnb India general manager Amanpreet Bajaj.

The hosting company has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to promote inbound tourism as a part of the ‘Visit India 2023’ initiative and it also plans to launch a dedicated ‘soul of India’, which is a microsite to showcase India’s rich culture and built heritage in front of Global audience, Airbnb stated in its regulatory filing.

Adding further, Airbnb told that it will provide assistance to the hosts in untapped tourist areas, to help them in promoting their homestays, build host capacity, and foster a culture.

Homestay accommodations offer travelers a personalised, immersive and rooted culture travel experience,” stated Union tourist minister Reddy.

Adding further he said, “We are delighted to partner with Airbnb, whose global reach will provide enhanced visibility to India’s unique and varied accommodation offerings and enable travelers an opportunity to experience our rich heritage first-hand. This partnership will contribute to the growth of inbound tourism, create economic opportunities for local communities and position India uniquely on the global tourism map.”

What is an Airbnb?

Founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk in the year 2008, this platform is an online hosting website. The platform connects people who want to rent out their homes with people looking for accommodations during their itinerant.

As per the company’s latest data, it holds more than six million listings, in more than 1,00,00 cities from across the globe.