SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea braces for a record number of foreign visitors this year, unease is spreading among Taiwanese travelers over whether their reserved lodgings may be illegal under new rules targeting unregistered accommodations. The anxiety follows Airbnb’s announcement that, beginning October 16, it will block bookings for properties that have [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Home rental platform Airbnb Inc. said Tuesday it will fully implement a business registration rule for existing accommodations in South Korea from mid-October as part of its policy to remove unregistered properties. Hosts who have not submitted their business registration information and certificate as of Oct. 16 will not [...]
SEOUL, May 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The home rental platform Airbnb Inc. said Tuesday it has partnered with the Seoul metropolitan government to turn a Han River cafe into an Airbnb destination in the capital city of South Korea. Sky Suite Hangang Bridge, located on the northern end of the Hangang Bridge, was formerly used [...]
SEOUL, May 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Home rental platform Airbnb Inc. will prioritize its focus on South Korea this year as it promotes the Asian country as a must-visit destination for travelers, a top executive said Wednesday. Airbnb’s co-founder and chief strategic officer (CSO) Nathan Blecharczyk also expressed hope to work with local governments across [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Home rental platform Airbnb Inc. hopes to make hosting easier and travel experiences more unique, through stronger host protections and a wider variety of listings included in its latest platform upgrade, a top executive has said. Airbnb announced a series of upgrades to its platform Thursday, consisting of an [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Airbnb Inc. could add Korean traditional houses known as “hanok” as an independent booking option on its home rental platform, an executive has said, amid the growing popularity of the Korean wave of pop culture among international travelers. In May, Airbnb made major upgrades to its platform, including a [...]
PYEONGCHANG, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Airbnb said Tuesday it has teamed up with Hybe, the entertainment company behind BTS, to offer fans of the K-pop band a chance to relive moments featured in season two of the “IN THE SOOP BTS” reality show. Airbnb said up to two guests can stay overnight at an [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is engaged in the final stages of discussion with related industries for approval of shared accommodation services for residents of urban areas. The talks, however, are stuck in a last-minute limbo as disputes have flared up over the government’s new regulations, which stipulate that such business may [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Users of the global house-sharing platform Airbnb Inc. spent US$2.1 billion in South Korea in 2019, the company said Wednesday. The amount accounted for 4.2 percent of total tourist spending in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, with Airbnb users’ median expenditures standing at $445. Airbnb users and hosts contributed $1.91 billion [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of South Koreans are in favor of “shared accommodations” in which living space is shared through services such as Airbnb, a global lodging platform, according to a survey. According to a survey of 600 Koreans conducted by David Binder Research (DBR) an American research company, between December [...]