On January 29th, Airbnb announced the signing of a new partnership with the Royal Association of Historic Houses & Gardens of Belgium as well as the launch of the “Heritage” category, which is meant to encourage stays of this kind in Belgium. These two initiatives mark a new step in the platform’s commitment to supporting the preservation of historic places and the development of heritage tourism in Europe.
In July 2022, the company launched the “Historical Homes” category with the aim of making it easier for people to discover and enjoy Europe’s rich heritage. Since it launched, more historical home hosts have joined the platform with more countries to be added in the short term.
Belgium is full of thousands of unique historic properties. According to the company, many owners have found on its platform a new way to finance the preservation of these historic places. Airbnb has signed a partnership with the Royal Association of Historic Houses & Gardens of Belgium to promote heritage tourism and its benefits for Belgian heritage property owners.
The launch of this new category will allow a better distribution of the benefits related to the development of heritage tourism.
Emmanuel Marill, Directeur d’Airbnb en France et en Belgique
Starting February 23rd, Airbnb and the association will jointly host a series of webinars to share the latest trends in heritage tourism as well as some tips to help owners make the most of the platform to generate additional income.
Heritage stays are becoming increasingly popular and offer unforgettable travel experiences for travelers looking for unique cultural stays, allowing heritage hosts to thrive on Airbnb. In 2022, a host offering a heritage property on the platform earned around €7,000 in 2022 (median income of heritage hosts in the first three quarters of 2022), compared to around €4,000 in general for Belgian hosts (median income of Belgian hosts in the first three quarters of 2022).
Development of heritage tourism across Belgium
Belgium is home to an exceptional cultural heritage: castles, religious buildings, windmills, farms, etc. This category already lists more than 250 unique historical places to stay throughout the country and will be updated regularly.
We are convinced that heritage tourism can contribute to the economic life of cities and villages in rural Belgium.
Emmanuel Marill, Directeur d’Airbnb en France et en Belgique
This form of tourism helps to spread the travel and tourism benefits to more destinations outside the main tourist spots. More than 50% of the listings in this category are located in rural areas.
According to Airbnb, the company supports the preservation and development of heritage tourism on a European scale. In recent years, the platform has signed multiple partnerships with heritage associations in France, England, Spain, Italy, Germany and now Belgium. The platform also announced the financing of a new European educational program on the theme of preservation and promotion of heritage in Europe with the European Historic Houses, a European association of 27 national associations of owners of private historic houses.
