most important Across Europe, hundreds of Internet users have booked accommodation in Ukraine through the Airbnb platform. Purpose: to provide financial support to the local population.
Last Saturday, 42,000 people took to the streets to protest Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. And the solidarity does not end there. Hundreds of Internet users from all over Europe took the initiative to book accommodation in Ukraine through the Airbnb platform.
The question is not to go there, but to provide financial support to the local population. “Associations send medicines, blankets, food… I thought that by booking with local residents, it would be possible to give money directly to someone who really needs it,” Mariel, a Parisian, who booked a room in the very center of Kharkiv, testifies in columns. She also decided to make one of the houses she rents on the platform free for Ukrainian families.
Read also:
DIRECT. War in Ukraine: Humanitarian corridors opened for five cities, Russia says
For its part, Airbnb decided not to charge service fees to support Ukraine. Thus, the money from the reservations is fully returned to the local population. In addition, it is no longer possible to book accommodation in Russia and Belarus.
“This is the first time we’ve seen such a surge of natural bounty on our platform”
According to data compiled by our colleagues at Le Parisien, over 61,000 nights have been booked worldwide, including over 700 in France. Bookings made by Airbnb customers in just two days, between March 2nd and 3rd. Thus, almost two million dollars were paid directly to the Ukrainian presenters.
Read also:
War in Ukraine: Five Tips for Safe Donations
“This is the first time we have seen such an outpouring of natural generosity on our platform. Added to these donations is Airbnb’s pledge to provide 100,000 temporary accommodations to refugees in Europe through the platform. airbnb.org, which offers emergency accommodation. ”, Airbnb Europe general manager Emmanuel Merrill explains to the Paris newspaper. There are currently over 26,000 people listing their accommodation through the site, and 1,700 people have registered on it in France in the last week alone.