Homesharing titan Airbnb will now go by the new name of “Aibiying” in China, which means “to welcome each other with love”, as it seeks to step up its marketing, investment and workforce in one of the world’s largest travel markets.
The renaming effort was unveiled its ambitions to attract Chinese millennials, as more than 80 per cent of its users in China are less than 35 years old.
“There’s a whole new generation of Chinese travellers who want to see the world in a different way,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder, CEO and head of community. Airbnb has also announced the launch of Trips in Shanghai, following a similar rollout of its Experiences service last week in Bangkok and Singapore.
“We hope that Aibiying and our Trips product strikes a chord with them and inspires them to want to travel in a way that opens doors to new people, communities and neighbourhoods across the world. I’m really excited about our future here,” added Chesky.
The company has also tailored its service to meet the needs of local users in China, from improved website translation to integration of local payment methods such as Alipay and sign-up options through WeChat.
