Airbnb’s Virtual Experiences connect fans with Olympians and Paralympians

With communities around the world staying home to protect their own health and the health of others, Airbnb Online Experiences provide a new way for users to enjoy unique activities – such as workouts and mentoring sessions led by Olympians and Paralympians virtually – and for athlete hosts to share their passion, connect with fans and earn income during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Human connection is at the core of what we do,” says Catherine Powell, Head of Airbnb Experiences. “With so many people needing to stay indoors to protect their health, we want to provide an opportunity for our hosts to connect with our global community of guests in the only way possible right now, online.”

Among those athletes offering the chance to enjoy a unique online experience on Airbnb is Olympic swimming gold medallist Breeja Larson (USA), who is offering to provide goal-setting advice, and Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia (China), who is hosting personalised home-based workouts.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Airbnb announced at the start of their partnership the launch of Airbnb Olympian Experiences to provide direct earning opportunities for athletes by enabling them to host in-person experiences to Airbnb guests. Both the IOC and Airbnb have put in place dedicated teams to work on this partnership in order to empower the athlete community through this fantastic opportunity.  

With these in-person experiences currently suspended to protect the safety and well-being of hosts and guests, Airbnb is leveraging its technology platform to help its hosts and athletes continue to earn through Online Experiences. Olympian Elfje Willemsen described her experience hosting her own virtual workout as an opportunity to connect with people globally: “When offering the experience online, I was able to speak with guests from Canada, the USA, Sweden and England in the same session.”

Want to connect with an Olympian virtually? Explore all of the Airbnb Online Experiences hosted by Olympians here. Or are you an Olympian interested in hosting your own experience? Let us help you get started here!