Four Airbnb Host Clubs: Basilicata, Campania, Calabria and Puglia, with their Community Leaders and their local hosts together with Claudia Pattarini, member of the Host Advisory Board, join together to give new life to the role of villages in the Italian tourist panorama.
On October 26th, in Grottole, an interregional meetup will be held dedicated to hosts from internal and peripheral areas, with the aim of highlighting their valuable contribution and promoting active collaboration with the territory.
This meeting was born from the desire to valorize hosts who operate far from the most popular tourist destinations, sharing networking and collaboration experiences that can strengthen the tourist offer in these areas. The goal is clear: to increase the quality of hospitality to attract more travelers, offering a valid alternative to the overtourism that afflicts the most famous destinations.
But not only that: we also want to distribute the economic benefits of tourism more equitably, reaching fragile territories and promoting sustainable development. And, of course, encouraging more responsible tourism, made up of environmentally conscious travellers who are eager to connect with local communities.
The meetup includes a morning workshop, a lunch with the Community and an immersive experience in Grottole. It will be an opportunity to create a valuable guideline for hosts operating in villages and inland areas, offering practical advice on how to attract travelers, collaborate with each other and ensure high-quality hospitality.
The choice of Grottole is not accidental. The first Airbnb Sabbatical experiment took place here in 2019 in collaboration with the Wonder Grottole Social Enterprise. 280.000 people from all over the world responded to the call that invited 5 people to live for three months in this village in Basilicata to enhance its beauty and hidden resources.
Airbnb could benefit from this initiative, shining a spotlight on lesser-known itineraries and destinations, perhaps introducing a category dedicated to villages and highlighting quality hosts and accommodations in these areas.
A connection is planned with Rie Matsumura, Japan member of the Host Advisory Board, from the Okinawa region where Airbnb has already promoted initiatives to enhance peripheral areas and villages.
https://news.airbnb.com/ja/tourism_exchange_program_between_us_and_japan/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2-4HUVRFKCyVnaARkCRLlPVqY_V37EHMsDew7p71luiijLySF6hG2328s_aem_uudlo2_fQTCW1BFR9pC7wg
The workshop, conceived as the first of a series of regional meetings, aims to train a real category of hosts specialized in hospitality in villages. The message that we want to convey is loud and clear: a community of passionate hosts can make the difference, engaging travelers with authentic local experiences and transforming villages into high-value tourist destinations.
Host Clubs involved: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Apulia
Community Leaders involved: Marilisa, Rosamaria, Maria, Manuela, Luisa, Raffaele
Host Advisory Board Member: Claudia
