NASSAU, Bahamas, August 27, 2019 — The launch of Airbnb Experiences in The Bahamas provides a unique opportunity for local culture curators to share their knowledge of the islands and what it means to be uniquely Bahamian with guests from around the world.
Experiences align with Airbnb’s mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. They also ensure that as tourism becomes a larger portion of economies around the world, local people and the communities they live in are the primary beneficiaries.
Through the Experiences platform, locals offering a one-of-a-kind experience can start hosting with no upfront costs. Airbnb provides each Experiences host with their own page that travelers can use to book their activity. Airbnb handles payment processing, provides 24-hour customer service, and Experience Protection Insurance – up to $1 million in insurance coverage for most activities. In exchange, Airbnb charges a 20% service fee on Experiences sales.
- In 2018, the number of seats booked on Airbnb Experiences increased nearly 7x, year over year.
- In 2016, Experiences launched with roughly 500 experiences. Today, over 40,000 Experiences are available around the world.
The growth of Experiences offers new ways for small entrepreneurs to market their time, experiences and talents. In the past, it was difficult for individuals to market and sell independent experiences to travelers. Airbnb has given entrepreneurs access to their global network, and while the average person earned $2,500 per Experience listed in 2018, some of Airbnb’s top hosts are earning more than $300,000 in a year from hosting Experiences.
In recent months, Airbnb has been promoting Experiences to locals on the island, with an aim to increase the supply of Experiences on the platform. In June, the platform hosted an Entrepreneurship Lab, an Office of Healthy Tourism initiative held in conjunction with the Tourism Development Corporation that attracted dozens of potential Experiences hosts. Then on August 9, Airbnb provided additional one-on-one support for entrepreneurs interested in becoming Experiences hosts by providing office hours at the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association.
From the response generated at these two events, it is evident that local hosts are eager to share their knowledge and expertise of the islands through diverse, people-powered experiences that are local, authentic, sustainable, and drive economic growth in the community.
The hosts highlighted below are some of the entrepreneurs who launched Experiences after attending the Entrepreneurship lab.
CHICKCHARNEY FARM TO TABLE EXPERIENCE
The legend of the chickcharney, a mischievous, bird-like dwarf with red eyes said to inhabit the forests of Andros has a deep history rooted in Bahamian folklore. In parallel, the family farm bearing this Bahamian legend’s name has a deep history as well.
Third-generation farmer and entrepreneur Chavara grew up on her family’s farm on the island of Andros. For 48 years, her family has worked the farm, growing native fruits such as sapodilla, mangoes, soursop, and breadfruit. Years ago, Chavara expanded her farm’s operation to New Providence, delivering fresh produce to restaurants and locals.
Today, she operates two farms and Chickcharney’s recently opened farm store. People can get a taste of the islands with homemade farm to table products including ice cream, juices, jams, and locally brewed ‘bush’ teas.
“We got our first booking just days after signing up. I was so excited,” shared Chavara Roker-Eneas, President of Chickcharney Farms. “I love that I get to share our products and story with so many more people now that I’m on Airbnb Experiences. Experiences is a game-changer for local entrepreneurs.”
The Chickcharney Experience invites guests on a gastronomic adventure, serving a buffet of traditional seasonal jams, jellies, and treats including banana bread, potato bread, and guava duff. To culminate the experience, guests will enjoy a tea tasting featuring ‘bush teas’ steeped from traditional bushes and herbs foraged from the local pine forests.
BECOME LIVING ART ON THE ISLANDS
The islands of The Bahamas are vivid, sweeping views with bold colour palette of blues, pinks, purples, and oranges. Now imagine becoming a life-size representation of the island’s boldness, hand-painted by a well-known Bahamian body painting artist and photographer.
With this unique Experience hosted by Monty, guests can become a living work of art immortalized in limited edition art photographs. Well known for his painted Junkanoo nymph series, Monty’s body paintings enhance and celebrate bodies.
“Airbnb Experiences handles marketing, scheduling and billing, allowing me to concentrate on aspects of my art that I truly enjoy. Signing up online was seamless and I would encourage other creatives to take advantage of this opportunity to share their passions and knowledge with the millions of travelers who use Airbnb’s platform.”
Paintings take place on a docked 46-foot boat overlooking Nassau Harbour and Paradise Island. The detailed body-paintings are then carefully photographed to produce high-resolution photographs suitable for large prints. Truly an unforgettable experience.
EDUCULTURE
From her childhood home on iconic West Street, Arlene Ferguson shares her love of Junkanoo with guests from around the world. An avid “Junkanoo” since the tender age of four, she — along with her husband Silbert — have created a unique museum celebrating the centuries old tradition much loved by Bahamians.
“Junkanoo is an important part of Bahamian culture and history and we want to nurture it, celebrate it, and share it with as many people as we can,” shared Arlene Ferguson. “The Airbnb team helped us get our experience listed and they’ve been eager to help us improve our listing. This means we can focus on giving our guests the best ‘true-true’ Bahamian experience possible.”
Arlene and Silbert provide an interactive Experience that allows guests to discover and explore the spirit of Junkanoo throughout the year. Beyond learning about the national cultural festival of The Bahamas, guests can make their own masks using traditional Junkanoo materials and dance to Junkanoo music.
Experiences align with Airbnb’s mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. They also ensure that as tourism becomes a larger portion of economies around the world, local people and the communities they live in are the primary beneficiaries.
Interested persons may join Airbnb Experiences today by applying online.
