Airbnb Africa Pledge
Our commitment to work with policymakers, partners and our community to support inclusive and sustainable tourism growth on the continent.
Our impact in South Africa
We are proud to be playing a significant role in growing an inclusive tourism sector in South Africa.
2017
The Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy was established in South Africa alongside a $1M commitment over 3 years to promote and support community-led projects.
2021
We made a renewed commitment to inclusive tourism that would support existing tourism entrepreneurs, help remove barriers to entry, and enable a new generation of South Africans to benefit from the tourism economy.
2022
A report by Genesis Analytics established that Airbnb contributed over R23.5 billion to the South African economy, more than doubling our pre-pandemic contribution of over R8.4 billion in 2019, and supported close to 50 000 jobs.
500+ individuals trained from disadvantaged and rural communities
70% women
Over $230k additional income earned
by participants through Airbnb
36 communities involved
across the country
Over 1800 five-star reviews
Homes & Experiences
70+ free wifi hotspots
in townships & rural areas
40+ hosts funded during COVID19 pandemic
through the Airbnb Academy Fund
Expanding our commitment into Africa
Africa boasts some of the world’s unique, culturally-rich, and experientially diverse destinations and homes in the world. We want to be part of solutions that will help more African families and communities to attract guests from around the world and to share more of what Africa has to offer.Airbnb is committed to playing its part to drive the recovery and continued growth of the tourism sector in Africa. We will use the lessons and experience we have gained to further support inclusive and sustainable tourism in additional fast-growing African countries such as Kenya, Morocco, Ghana and Mauritius.The Airbnb Africa Pledge will support African policymakers, partners and our community in 2024 and 2025.
Pledge commitments
Identifying and unlocking tourism opportunities
Supporting Hosts, guests and the communities they live in
Empowering the next generation of tourism entrepreneurs
Investment in the tourism ecosystem
How can I get involved?
Airbnb will identify the fastest growing countries in Africa for rollout of the Pledge commitments. However, if you are a government, destination marketing organisation, or nonprofit organisation and are interested in finding out how your country can benefit from the pledge, please email africa-pledge@airbnb.com.
Learn more about the Pledge commitments
Identifying and unlocking tourism opportunities
Airbnb will work with partners to produce an Inclusive Tourism Growth White Paper to be published in 2024 aimed at supporting countries in Africa to identify low-hanging fruit and policy solutions to spur inclusive and sustainable tourism across the continent.Airbnb will also invest in City Portal roll-out over the next year to at least an additional 10 countries in Africa to share aggregate data on Airbnb activity in their country, which will support destination marketing and planning.
Supporting Hosts, guests and the communities they live in
Airbnb will develop Host and Guest Guides in conjunction with destination marketing organizations in Africa to support Hosts to improve the visitor experience and attract greater interest in their listings, and to empower guests to be good visitors to their hosts and their hosts’ community. We aim to have developed guides in at least 5 countries by the end of 2025.
Empowering the next generation of tourism entrepreneurs
We plan to roll out the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, as already offered in South Africa and Kenya, to an additional five new countries in Africa in 2024 and 2025.
Investment in the tourism ecosystem
The Airbnb Community Fund will commit $500,000 to nonprofit organizations supporting economic empowerment, digital access, and sustainability in the region.