Airbnb and TripAdvisor strike an experiences partnership

Airbnb has announced a partnership with TripAdvisor to offer its catalogue of 425,000 activities through Viator by the end of the year. The news, reported by Hosteltur, lands in the middle of the experiences battle, the business every OTA wants a piece of.

Last year Airbnb rolled out personalized experiences in 260 cities, covering cultural, food and wellness options. And still, its catalogue looked thin next to a giant like Viator, which moves millions of travellers a year. That's why this move is a strategic shortcut: instead of building its own tours, it borrows the global supply from the company that already has it.

My read is that Airbnb isn't competing to build the biggest offer. It's competing to own the front door to the trip. The question is whether the authenticity of experiences gets diluted once you throw that much supply into one search box. Why build when you can rent? I'd bet the traveller ends up winning.