In the context of the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the world, tourism has suffered heavy losses, the tourism community has put great pressure on Airbnb, asking it to expand its cancellation policy. Accordingly, Airbnb has introduced a new policy that applies to all travelers worldwide when they book a room "before or on March 14, 2020, check-in date from March 14 to April 14, 2020".
Airlines and hotels have now issued waivers and adjusted cancellation policies so most customers can cancel mid-spring trips.
Part of the reason Airbnb was slow to announce the new policy is because of how the company makes money. Compared to traditional travel providers, the majority of revenue from Airbnb bookings goes to the host, not Airbnb. So a global cancellation policy will directly impact the host community’s income.
Airbnb currently has more than 7 million listings in over 100,000 cities worldwide.
Airbnb said it will come up with solutions to support hosts during this difficult time.
