Hey, are you promoting LOCAL? Here's how & why you should...

Hey, are you promoting LOCAL? Here's how & why you should...

Screen Shot 2017-01-25 at 10.45.06 PM.png 


(In case you recommned local expereicnes too, please share with all the hosts why and what you do and if you have some pictures, feel free to add them 🙂

Hello folks,

 

WHY SHOULD I PROMOTE LOCAL?
Airbnb is (was?) all about Living with the Locals and enjoying Local experiences. And that's why Guests love to stay at Airbnb's and ditch the traditional hotels.

 

Plenty of us reap the benefits of Airbnb but at the same time, are you being thoughful about promoting the Local Artists, Chefs, Farmers, Bakers, Drivers, Grocers, etc.? I think, in order to grow a sustainable, well connected, happy and a strong Local Community it is very important that everyone gets a piece of the pie.

 

THAT'S AWESOME! HOW CAN I PROMOTE LOCAL TOO?

It's not that difficult - next time when you are explaining your guests how to get to the closest Starbucks, also tell them about the local Food Truck around the corner that sells your favorite coffee and bagels. While telling them how amazing the State Art Museum is, also let them know about the store in the same locality that sells handicrafts and artwork made by the tribals in your region. We have all  been to Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafes and  Subways but what makes travel more memorable are the Local Experiences that your guests have.

WHAT I DO?

I support a Local Farmer by recommending my guests the Strawberry Picking Experience that he offers. Guests love to pick organic fresh strawberries and that's why they also prefer staying at my place. My bookings have gone up since I added it to my listing and my farmer friend is very happy that he can make a few extra bucks as well. And guess who gets the sweetest strawberries 😉
I also make sure that that I give clear instructions to my guests like not to step on the crop, not to bargain, not pluck the ones that aren't ripe etc.
[Sharing the pictures below]

In case you recommned local expereicnes too, please share with all the hosts why and what you do and if you have some pictures, feel free to add them 🙂

 

**Don't forget to Hit the Thumbs Up button, if you like this article 🙂

BTW, check out this cool product that Airbnb has launched called Experiences where, you can be an Experience Host and create unique experiences around your city and share with the World! https://www.airbnb.com/host/experiences

12764524_10153557894893212_2011151490151768383_o.jpgOne of my guests, tasting the fresh ripe ones.
14543809_1113280552083781_7088174829994483112_o.jpgDoes this one need a caption? 😄
12841372_738252169644921_3109712917048897391_o.jpgGuests plucking Strawberries at the Farm
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The cover photo of my listing.

10 Replies 10
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Lovely post @Jeet0 🙂

 

I think this is a really useful tip and it is a visual way of telling them about things they can do during their stay, so it makes sense that it has only helped your bookings. 

 

Have you had many guests mention it when you speak with them?

 

 

Do any other hosts do this or something similar?


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Hello @Lizzie,

 

Yes, almost all guests ask me about the activity and some of them booking only for the experience as it happens only for 3 months a year. My bookigs have certainly gone up after I started sharing this experience 🙂

 

Good day!

Jeet

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Jeet0

Hey Jeet, bloody good to see you back again mate!

I believe you should help where it is most deserved....and that may not be local, or at home. We in this country are lucky. Other parts of the world are not!

We are in the 'Cosi's cows for Cambodia' program! We are currently sponsoring three cows. Although cows are a common commodity in India, in Cambodia a cow is like gold. It is a families path from poverty. A cow will plow your rice paddy, it will supply milk, it will supply fertiliser to help grow the next crop! But a Cambodian family on the breadline cannot afford a cow. So 'Cosi's cows for Cambodia' provides the family with a pregnant cow! They have the use of that cow to till their soil, harvest the milk and use the fertiliser until the calf that cow gives birth to is weaned and self sufficient. At that point they get to keep the calf and give the cow back to Cosi's cows for Cambodia and the cycle repeats itself. Jeet, it is a wonderful program and came out of South Australia. Cosi now has more than 800 cows, all sponsored by people like me. I don't need to help people in this community or this land of plenty....I need to support destitute families in Cambodia, or wherever they may be.

On a visit to Vietnam we went to a temple and on the concourse at the entrance to the temple 20 or so women aged teens to 40 were making those conical bamboo hats that are so typical throughout Asia. A hat was $1.50 so I picked out this particular woman and asked for two hats! These women earn about 5 cents per hat and they do it day after day just to help support their child or their family. This woman picked out 2 hats for me and I gave her $10 US.....she went to give me the changes and I shaked my hand at her indicating that she keep the change and she started to cry! That was possibly a months salary I gave her there...the money meant bu*ger all to me, but to this woman it was like receiving a gold bar!

That's where I want to help Jeet!

Cheers.....Rob

Hi @Robin4,

 

Great to see you ever so active and contributing immensley to the Community Center too 🙂

 

I think you got my post wrong. It's great that you are involed in charitable work, but my post isn't about personal donations/charity/fundraising, but about promoting local craftsman, trader, artists in your area by recommending them to your guests so that:

1. Your guests have the real feel of your locality and experience the true indegineos side of the place.

2. To generate additional business for the locals in your town/city.

 

Also, cows aren't a common "commodity" in India.

 

Thanks,

Jeet

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Jeet0

Oh Jeet, yes I can do that with passion. This is one of 'the' major White wine producing areas in Australia. There are over 150 wineries in the Adelaide hills....I can promote them absolutely no problems! And Jeet, I am totally equipped to give guests a well rounded, first hand knowledge and an educated opinion on the product of a considerable number of them 😉 !!!

And I do Jeet, I have given over 6 pages in my House rules/Information book to maps, descriptions, opening hours and what all these wineries offer. This also a large 'artisan' cheese producing area and I promote that heavily as well.

Jeet, if there is something in my patch, I promote it, don't worry about that, but yes I did miss-understand your post a bit and I think mainly because of your lead picture Jeet! It shows a little old streetseller surounded by everything she owns in the way of earning capacity, trying to etch out a living off the pavement, rain, hail or shine in the only way she can!

I have seen so much of that elsewhere in the world and I did take your post as trying to lift the lot of those disadvantaged in your area. We don't have that desperation here. For all I know that motorbike in the background is possibly hers and she heads home at the end of the day to a nice house! But looking at that photo...it has that look of poverty...can you understand Jeet?

 

Isn't that strange, perception does weird things. I was under the impression that cows are sacred in India, and from people I know who have been there, they tell me there are cows everywhere, they have right of way and if you hit one while driving you are in serious trouble. maybe I have got the wrong end of the stick again!!

Good on you Jeet, hope all is going well for you over there, keep up your great informative posts.

Cheers.....Rob

Lilian20
Level 10
Argelès-sur-Mer, France

Excellent listing cover pic !

Thank you @Lilian20 🙂

Ali40
Level 10
Crozet, VA

I always promote the local businesses near my place - so instead of Starbucks (or any other national chain) how about promoting the locally owned coffee houses and restaurants. That's how guests can really experience your local culture. 

True @Ali40, appreciate that you are promoting Local as well 🙂

Xhevaire0
Level 2
Tirana, Albania

Hello collegues!

 

I did a search in the platform of Airbnb, and not any community from Tirana exists.

 

I live in the capital of Albania, named Tirana.

 

Albania is a small country, but meantime very diversified for nature, climate, and culture.

A unique country for the story of Iliririans, pelasg ancients, story crossed with Rome, Naples, Venetians, Greece and Slavic countries. A nation occupied for more than 5 centuries from Ottoman empire, a country of different in peace religions, a country where Jewish person were protected and sheltered by muslims,where number of Jewish after second world war was higher than before because albanian administration accepted and equiped with passport in the first days of arrival from other countries and gave other identity, for  its comunism era, for bad and good stories! 

We have a saying: My house is the house of God and of the guest!