INTERVIEW
Last Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that the French will be able to travel to France this summer. And even if the confinement weighed heavily on the tourism economy, for a few days, Airbnb, the platform for renting private accommodation, has seen the number of searches increase, as Emmanuel Marrill, Director General of Airbnb France at microphone from Europe 1.
"People come to dream a little, and project themselves into the summer: 50% of searches take place over the period from July to August, and often within the 100 km radius which is still the norm for the next few weeks", analyzes Emmanuel Marrill. Of the 21 million searches carried out on the site since mid-April, 35% are within a radius of 80 kilometers.
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The Gironde, the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, top 3 research
Another observation, it is "the revenge of the countryside and rural territories", notes the CEO of Airbnb France, who testifies according to him of the envy of the French "to be able to move away from the big metropolises to escape in these beautiful French countryside. " They are mainly looking for houses, as well as swimming pools for 50% of them. "In an overwhelming majority it is group searches," notes Emmanuel Marrill, "and they are looking for fairly flexible cancellation policies." The three most requested departments are Gironde, Var and Alpes-Maritimes.
In terms of hygiene, in order to reassure its customers, Airbnb has entered into a partnership with a company which has "certified a cleaning protocol", he says, with products adapted to the health context. "We will have to reassure the hosts, and travelers, on the cleanliness of the accommodation".
With the crisis, Airbnb saw its activity shrink sharply: worldwide, the company dismissed a quarter of its employees, or nearly 7,500 people.