Tourist rental platform Airbnb earns profit from listings in Tibet, Xinjiang
Feb 23, 2022
Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 23 : Tourist rental platform Airbnb has seen growth in the Chinese market with around 700 accommodation listings in Tibet and East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang), politically sensitive regions.
Choekyi Lhamo, citing Free Tibet, wrote in Phayul that the US-based company was one of the biggest backers of the Olympics with a reported USD 500 million sponsorship deal which is estimated to be running untill 2028.
The Beijing Olympics' sponsor Airbnb has hundreds of listings for rent in Tibet and Xinjiang, two regions where China has heavily been accused of committing human rights violations.
The online renting platform links travellers with hosts for accommodation and makes money by charging service fees. The firm has been vocal about progressive issues in the US including the Black Lives Matter movement but is yet to criticize China for its alleged genocide in Xinjiang.
Moreover, the company was urged to withdraw from Olympics sponsorship by a coalition of 150 human rights groups last year.
Airbnb in response said that it had a "long-term partnership" spanning several Olympics and had spoken to the IOC about "the importance of human rights", reported Phayul.
The statement read that it operated "where the US government allows us to" which has a "rigorous process ... to help ensure we follow applicable rules." Airbnb further said that China was "an important part of our purpose to connect people from around the world."
The Chinese website for the company said that it will host travellers in Xinjiang trumpet "ethnic-style" rooms in "mysterious and romantic" settings.
Experts have slammed Airbnb profiteering off from tourism in these regions as being "complicit in genocidal processes".
Uyghur language activist Abduweli Ayup said companies like Airbnb could be listing homes that were once owned by Uyghurs. "(They) have a responsibility to check where the owners are, and why so many houses are empty," he remarked.
