Airbnb in China - before, during and after COVID-19

Link to open access book chapter: https://uq.pressbooks.pub/airbnb-978-1-74272-321-1/chapter/airbnb-in-china-before-during-and-after-covid-19/ Chapter 7: Unlike most other countries around the world, China has not embraced Airbnb. The main reasons for this unique reaction include the resistance of Chinese tourists to using trading platforms that operate in languages other than Chinese, and the perception that Chinese peer-to-peer accommodation trading platforms cater better to Chinese tourists. When it first entered the Chinese market in 2015, Airbnb struggled. After a change in strategy, Airbnb survived competition from local platform providers and demonstrated strong growth in the first and last quarters of 2019 (Sohu News, 2019, Xiong et al., 2020). COVID-19 significantly disrupted the business of Airbnb China and local Chinese peer-to-peer accommodation platforms. The key challenges for Airbnb China during COVID-19 were: a shortage of cashflow, loss of listings, a low occupancy rate, booking cancellation refunds, uncertain loyalty of hosts and guests, and a crisis of confidence among hosts in the future of Airbnb China.