Airbnb looks to expand Cuba listings to non-Americans

Airbnb looks to expand Cuba listings to non-Americans
BY MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN
Associated Press

HAVANA
Online home-rental service Airbnb says it is exploring a significant
expansion of its operations in Cuba two months after it became the first
major U.S. business to enter the island in decades.

Chief technology officer Nathan Blecharczyk, one of the firm's three
co-founders, told The Associated Press on Wednesday during his first
trip to Havana that Airbnb had requested a special license allowing
people from outside the U.S. to use the San Francisco-based business to
reserve stays at private homes inside Cuba.

Co-founder of AirBnb Nathan Blecharczyk, right, visits with guesthouse
owner Armando Usain in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 24, 2015. AirBnb
has added more than 2,000 listings in Cuba, which has long had an
extensive network of legal private home for rent to travelers. | DESMOND
BOYLAN AP PHOTO
Airbnb currently books lodging only for U.S. residents going to Cuba for
12 special purposes, including educational travel, religious outreach
and appearing in athletic and artistic events.

President Barack Obama created blanket permission for those 12 types of
travelers to go to Cuba when he declared detente with Cuba late last
year and carved a series of exemptions in the half-century trade embargo
on Cuba. Because the exemptions are meant to increase personal
interactions between Cubans and Americans, they do not apply to the
majority of travelers to Cuba, who come from Canada, Europe and South
America.

"We are applying for a special license to accommodate non-Americans who
want to travel to Cuba for approved reasons. That's something that's in
process," Blecharcyzk said. "Airbnb has the majority of its users
outside of the U.S. ... I think there is huge potential to market to
that audience."

He said he was optimistic about Airbnb's prospects but had no idea if
the proposal would be approved.

"It's too early to tell," he said. "I think the intent is there coming
from the president in terms of the way he talks about his hope for Cuba
and the direction he wants to take, but there is a bunch of process that
has to be worked through."

Airbnb has become an important player in international travel by
connecting private home owners around the world with travelers who want
to rent spaces ranging from a room in an occupied home to an entire
house. It has added more than 2,000 listings in Cuba, which has long had
an extensive network of legal private home for rent to travelers.

Blecharczyk said homeowners renting through Airbnb have earned $650
apiece so far, a significant amount of income in a country where the
average salary is around $30 a month. He said he expected great future
growth in Cuba, particularly if the U.S. continues to loosen
restrictions on travel.

"Here is an island where there is a lot of pent-up demand to visit. We
expect a lot of travelers to want to come here and yet there isn't a lot
of hotel infrastructure," he said. "I think Cuba could easliy be on that
short list of the places Americans go."

Source: Airbnb looks to expand Cuba listings to non-Americans | Miami
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