Online hospitality platform Airbnb is considering the launch of an Arabic-translated website to cater to its users in the MENA region, a source close to the business told Arabian Business.
The US-based concept which revolves around short-term home leasing began its Dubai operations in 2015. Despite experiencing dramatic growth with a 421% rise in 2017, many users continue to opt for competitors such as Booking.com due to its availability in Arabic.
“Airbnb hasn’t been translated into Arabic so a lot of customers prefer Booking.com over Airbnb. This year, the website is supposed to be translated to allow more people to start using it,” the source said.
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Arabian Business has reached out to Airbnb for comment.
In August, the platform had 3,500 hosts and 6,700 properties in the UAE, which helped welcome an estimated 90,000 guests from around the world last year.
However, Dubai remains the fifth most expensive city in the world for Airbnb consumers, according to the Bloomberg World Airbnb Cost Index 2018, which looks at the average cost of private lodging per night in major cities worldwide.
An average Airbnb room in Dubai stands at $185 per night, making it costlier than a room in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London or Sydney. Middle East cities Riyadh and Kuwait City ranked 11th and 15th place on the index, respectively.