November 17, 2016
Airbnb is taking on the tourism industry by offering travellers excursions and experiences hosted by locals, an ambitious expansion which will allow people to plan entire trips through the home-sharing site. The announcement came at a delicate time for Airbnb. The next big battle is in LA where the city council will soon debate whether to toughen rules. A coalition of tenants, community activists, labour leaders and business allies is due to rally outside the company’s jamboree this week to try to engage hosts and pressure city authorities. “We are very concerned at how short term rents are perverting our housing market and raising our rents,” said James Elmendorf, of the advocacy group Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (Laane). “So we are out there educating Airbnb hosts about their responsibilities so they’re not just hearing from the company.”…
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/17/airbnb-launch-new-trips-service-los-angeles-protests
