India is one of the fastest-growing emerging markets for Airbnb: Blecharczyk

Online accommodation platform major Airbnb Friday said India is one of the fastest-growing emerging markets for the company as it unveiled its 'Plus Homes' range in India.

The company, which commenced operations in India in 2016, currently has 45,000 listings on its platform.

"Fastest-growing markets for Airbnb are emerging markets and India is one of them. India is one of the fastest-growing emerging markets for the company," Airbnb co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk told PTI.

India is an important business opportunity for Aibnb as it has a huge population and a huge number of millennials, young people, he added.

The company has also introduced its new range of 'Plus Homes' in India. Currently, these are available in over 41 cities across the globe. All of them are verified for quality, comfort and design, Blecharczyk said.

"We would be inviting about 4,500 super hosts to participate in the process of joining the new range," he added.

Emphasising the growth potential for the company in India, Blecharczyk said tourism in the emerging markets is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the world which is a promising opportunity for Airbnb in India.

About the segments of the business growth, he said: "Domestic market is growing very fast, at over 78 per cent over the last year for Airbnb in India. So, that is the fastest-growing segment for us."