Airbnb picks Text100 Malaysia for PR duties

Airbnb has appointed Text100 Malaysia to manage PR duties for the market until the end of the year, following a pitch held during the first week of May this year.The agency will be responsible for developing and executing Airbnb's consumer public relations strategies in Malaysia, in addition to providing oversight on  public affairs matters. It will also be in charge of generating coverage with key media outlets, driving influencer relationships, and articulating the company’s vision for home sharing in Malaysia.In a statement to A+M, Airbnb's spokesperson said both are people-driven companies and Airbnb saw the shared passion that Text100 has for the brand and felt confident in the agency's keen insight into the local market. The spokesperson added that work for Airbnb will roll out soon."Now that we've added them to our clientele, we're energised to work with Airbnb to articulate those experiences to others. Our priority will also be in ensuring that people are engaged with the transformative value Airbnb brings to the travel industry and the community," Tiam Siang Lee, managing consultant, Text100 Malaysia, said.Malaysia has been a market that has brought growth for Airbnb.  In April this year, Airbnb said its Malaysian hosts welcomed over 1.5 million guests in 2017, representing a 137% year-on-year growth in guest arrivals, the highest growth rate among the company’s Southeast Asia markets. On a city level, Kuala Lumpur saw 510,000 inbound guest arrivals, while Georgetown had 210,000. Johor Bahru and Petaling Jaya had 130,000 and 80,000 inbound guest arrivals respectively.The company also unveiled its Global Office of Healthy Tourism, a global initiative to drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism in countries and cities worldwide. It will create a new Tourism Advisory Board comprising travel industry leaders across the globe.It also launched a new guest membership program, Superguest, offering benefits across the entire trip. This is part of Airbnb’s roadmap for its core homes business, which places the company on a path to more than 1 billion annual guests by 2028. The company will also launch new tiers – Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb – in a bid to recognise hosts who go above and beyond to provide outstanding hospitality.Airbnb also expanded its trips "Experiences" offering to new markets in Asia Pacific - Malaysia, Bali, Hong Kong and Melbourne. This provides curated activities guided by local insiders to its users. Currently, the offering is available in markets such as Singapore, Bangkok, Queenstown, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, New Delhi, Osaka, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo.Read also:Airbnb promotes countries Trump allegedly called ‘shithole’Airbnb, Google and Lyft among brands taking a stand following Trump immigration banAirbnb names global creative partner, outlines Asia plansAirbnb brings ‘Experiences’ to three new APAC marketsAirbnb vs the hotel industry: Can the disrupted become the disrupter?Airbnb to help lure tourists for PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic GamesAirbnb dishes out US$2m to promote tourism projects across APACAirbnb CMO exit: Why CEOs need to be involved in marketingWhat brands should do when unwillingly dragged into a political conversation