Travel News

Airbnb launches new Experience opportunity in Queenstown

Want to try bee-keeping? Or an alpine run? Here's a way to tap into some local knowledge.

While Airbnb might be best known as an alternative accommodation option, the travel-focused company is now helping holiday-makers do more than just sleep, announcing Queenstown as its first New Zealand Experience destination.

Moving beyond accommodation, Airbnb launched the Destinations program internationally last year, with more than 800 active Experiences around the world. The South Island hotpot is the latest global location.

Setting travellers – and locals – up with unique experiences run by passionate experts, the expansion into Queenstown includes curated activities designed and led by locals ranging from bee-keeping to coffee-making, a personalised jewellery workshop and an alpine helicopter run.

Airbnb’s Product global vice president Joe Zadeh, who visited Queenstown from San Francisco to try out the new offerings, said it was clear why the tourist town was the first pick for New Zealand.

“Every city has something unique about it, but Queenstown is incredibly different to any other city we have launched this in. We think it’s a really interesting, off-the-beaten-path place – at least for the rest of the world,” he said.

“When I got there, it was very clear to me that these are things you are not going to see anywhere else.

“This program gives people travelling to Queenstown the opportunity to feel like they can truly belong anywhere.”

Key trends Zadeh sees growing in the travel tool include not just outdoor adventure and foodie activities, but also things like intimate concerts held in people’s homes.

“Everyone is eager to experience a different side of a city while immersing themselves in local communities,” he said.

“It’s a great way for people to discover new things to do, meet new people, and play tourist in their own backyard.”

While experience hosts don’t have to be Airbnb hosts, they do have to register through the website. Airbnb then select participants from there, and work with them to get the most out of what they want to offer.

See the list of Experiences on offer in Queenstown here.

WATCH: Justin Bieber slow dances with an elderly woman in Queenstown. Unfortunately, this is not on Airbnb’s Experience list

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