Airbnb Japan announced the introduction of a new feature for Japan on March 21.
According to Representative Director Yasuyuki Tanabe, an analysis of Airbnb usage in the year since the relaxation of waterfront measures in October 2022 shows that destinations away from the city, such as Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture and Nasu Town in Tochigi Prefecture, have become more popular, with “urban areas feeling more stress and wanting to release that stress, There is a growing need to get together with friends and have an open-minded trip,” he said.
He noted that trends among Japanese users include a 75% increase in the number of people renting a house and a 110% increase in the number of people staying in groups of four or more, indicating that traveling in groups is becoming a trend. He also noted that searches for information on facilities such as kitchens, swimming pools, and outdoor hot springs are increasing, and in light of this situation, he decided to implement new features for Japan into the service for the first time.
The new feature, “Search by Place or Name,” allows users to search for accommodations near popular places, tourist attractions, train stations, airports, and other destinations in a directory format, rather than entering keywords in the search window. Search results can be sorted in order of rating, price, or distance, and the distance from the accommodation to the destination is also displayed.
In addition, the “Amenities and Facilities Filter” is now available to narrow down your search based on the facilities of the accommodations. Keywords such as “sauna,” “home theater,” “swimming pool,” and “barbecue” are displayed below the search window, allowing you to quickly find the desired accommodation by selecting the desired conditions.
In addition, as a new global function, “Guest Choice,” which analyzes users’ evaluation data and introduces accommodation destinations with high ratings without any mishaps, will be available from early November.
Mr. Tanabe said that in order to introduce the value of Japan as a travel destination to the world, he has been focusing on developing hosts and “not investing much in increasing the number of Japanese users,” but he hopes to continue to make improvements that Japanese users will find useful, starting with this new feature addition.
In the second half of the presentation, it was revealed that fashion model Hoshi Mori plans to become the first celebrity host in Japan. Mori is working on renovating and revitalizing a 150-year-old traditional Japanese house as a villa, which will be listed on Airbnb and rented out to guests on a one-time-only basis after its completion.
More details will be announced as they become available, but to coincide with the announcement, a wish list of listings that Mori, a self-proclaimed heavy Airbnb user, would like to travel to next has been published.
© Source travel watch