Received this message from Shelly Green, President & CEO, Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau:
Get in Front of Airbnb Owners
Last week, I shared an opportunity for partners to connect with the media at an upcoming event in January. This week we have another opportunity for restaurants, breweries, visitor features, retailers, and businesses/entrepreneurs who produce and manufacture products here, to make connections with owners of Airbnb lodging here in Durham.
Did you know that more than 600 Durham residents rent out all or a portion of their homes to visitors through Airbnb? Collectively they provided 19,000 room nights to Durham visitors last year (and yes, they have been collecting and remitting both sales and occupancy taxes on these rentals).
Airbnb caters to travelers who prefer a home stay instead of commercial lodging, and the good news is that in Durham we have an abundance of both types of accommodations. But because Airbnb is a technology platform, not a business, it’s been difficult to know who these homeowners are.
So we teamed up with Airbnb to invite their Durham property owners to a reception in the Visitor Info Center in January. We want to treat our Airbnb owners like the valued hospitality partners they are, and make sure they know about Durham’s fabulous offerings. That’s where many of you come in.
We are looking for partners who want to showcase their locally made products, introduce their businesses, give away samples and handouts, and generally be a part of an event to introduce a variety of places and products to this important lodging alternative. If this sounds tailor-made for your business, drop us a note here (bulletin@durham-cvb.com) to be included.
Or, are you an Airbnb owner? Send me a note (bulletin@durham-cvb.com) and I’ll make sure you’re on the invitation list for the reception in January.
