The famous home-rental website Airbnb expands its grasp in China's travel industry. In an effort to get into the country's market, the company launched a Chinese version of their brand name which is "Aibiying" and also extended its labor force in the country.
According to CNET, the new name was revealed on Wednesday and it literally means "welcome each other with love." Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said: "There's a whole generation of Chinese travelers who want to see the world in a different way." He then added that he's really excited about the company's future in China.
It's a major breakthrough for the company because it wasn't that easy getting into the Chinese market in the first place. Since the company started in 2008, it has faced lots of strict regulations from housing propagandists and hotel associations before getting to where it is right now. With China also having strict rules and regulations, it was a complicated task penetrating it. In fact, other American companies like Facebook, Twitter and Uber have been challenged by its local policies wherein they faced website blocking and office investigations.
But aside from that, the company also has to deal with its local competitors that offer similar services. According to Fortune, some of the big names that are on the same field with Airbnb are Xiaozhu.com and Tujia. These local brands aren't that easy to contend with -- a good example would be ride-hailing service Uber that left the Chinese market for not being able to keep up with Didi Chuxing.
Airbnb may have learned from other companies' mistakes that's why it has its services tailored to the local market. The company has also been getting its workers locally and is also planning to invest more in the country. Now, all of the company's efforts have been rewarded since they have 5.3 million Chinese travelers availing their services worldwide.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
