Gen Z - Airbnb’s fastest growing market for Experiences in Asia-Pacific

Airbnb has announced that customers aged 24 and below, or Generation Z as they are called, comprise its fastest growing guest segment for Airbnb Experiences in Asia-Pacific, with Generation Z guest bookings in Thailand specifically growing by 228% year-on-year.

Airbnb currently offers more than 40,000 Experiences around the world today, with over 8,000 in Asia-Pacific.

The company launched three new Experiences categories this year alone, expanding its collection of unique travel experiences with Airbnb Adventures, Airbnb Animal Experiences, and Airbnb Cooking Experiences.

Perhaps not surprisingly, and confirmed by the latest Airbnb data, the most-booked Experience categories by Gen Z guests in Thailand involve food - with two of the top three Experiences learning to cook Thai food, and the top spot a city and food tour.

Across the region, Bali, Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul and Sydney rank amongst the top five Airbnb Experiences hotspots for Gen Z travellers.

The most-booked experience categories by Gen Z guests in Asia-Pacific include Sports and Nature Experiences, Cooking and Food & Drink Experiences, Entertainment experiences and Arts and Culture Experiences.

“Travelers today want unique, memorable experiences and that’s what we deliver. The rapid growth of Gen Zs booking Airbnb Experiences reflects how this new generation actively seeks a different form of travel,” said Parin Mehta, Managing Director for Airbnb Experiences, Asia-Pacific. “We see this manifesting three-fold: firstly, Gen Zs are driven by a new experience-led economy where they place greater value on experiences over ownership. They are also traveling more than the generations before them, and finding ways to make travel a significant part of their lifestyle. Lastly, they have a deep understanding of how technology can transform the way they travel and know to turn to platforms like Airbnb for the unique and authentic experiences they want.”

To stay ahead of the curve, Airbnb Experiences has launched several seasonal and on-trend experiences in addition to new categories. This year, guests from all around the world were invited to ride this summer’s hottest K-wave in Seoul with the launch of K-pop and K-beauty Experiences in August, and were able to book unique sakura-themed Experiences in Tokyo and Kyoto during the cherry blossom season in Japan.

“For most travellers today, traveling goes beyond sightseeing - it’s also about experiencing culture, exploring nature and pursuing hobbies,” added Mehta. “They want to experience more immersive, meaningful travel through personal interaction with locals. However, this is usually hard to plan and relies on knowing someone ‘on the inside’, which is what Airbnb Experiences aims to deliver.”

© Asia Travel Tips