Online accommodation platform Airbnb and the Self Employed Women''s Association of India (SEWA) on Thursday announced the extension of their partnership to Ladakh.
The extension of the partnership will allow onboarding of SEWA members from Ladakh as hosts on the Airbnb platform, the company said in a statement.
"This partnership will expand livelihood opportunities for women in rural Ladakh and form part of broader efforts to rebuild tourism in a way that delivers positive outcomes for communities," it added.
Through this partnership, Airbnb will train SEWA members on home sharing, hospitality, quality standards and responsible hosting practices under the ''Hum Sab Ek'' initiative, while fostering digital inclusion and enabling these women hosts to connect with a global community of travellers, the statement said.
"We are proud to extend our partnership with SEWA in Ladakh and help empower local women hosts on Airbnb to secure their financial independence and bring valuable tourism dollars into their communities," Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan- general manager, Amanpreet Bajaj said.
Women make up a significant portion of Airbnb''s Host community in India, the statement said.
"''Hum Sab Ek'' is our rural innovation. We have worked together with Airbnb to create meaningful livelihood opportunities for our women members," SEWA Director Reema Nanavaty said.
Together with Airbnb, "our goal is to build a strong community of SEWA hosts who can learn from one another, constantly improve hosting standards, and together create a more welcoming environment for Indian women in hospitality", she added.
