【E-commerce 0327】Airbnb启用中文名“爱彼迎”，发力开拓中国市场

刘颖

On Wednesday, the peer-to-peer room rentals startup unveiled a new brand name to be used in the country: ‘Aibiying’ (爱彼迎), which means “welcome each other with love.”

The re-naming is part of a larger effort by the company to expand its visibility and presence in China. Airbnb also announced it is launching Trips, a feature that offers suggestions for local experiences, in the country. (Cultural activities such as a detailed tour of Shanghai’s Kun Opera are already available on the platform.)

Like pretty much everyone else in Silicon Valley, Airbnb looks at China and sees a huge opportunity. But the country has proven a tricky market for Western unicorns to conquer. While Airbnb doesn’t have to contend with thorny censorship issues, it does have to face off against domestic rivals, an established group that includes powerhouses Tujia and Xiaozhu.com. As we’ve seen with Uber, which famously blinked when challenged by local ride-sharing service Didi Chuxing, Chinese competitors shouldn’t be underestimated.

Still, Airbnb is hoping the rebranding will resonate with Chinese travelers, particularly millennials, and accelerate the company’s growth in the country. To date, more than 5.3 million Chinese travelers have booked a room, apartment, or house through Airbnb's platform, which also has more than 80,000 domestic listings. Meanwhile, outbound travel from China grew by 142% last year, according to the company.

“There’s a whole new generation of Chinese travelers who want to see the world in a different way,” CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement.

To support its push into China, Airbnb said it will increase its local workforce from 60 employees to more 180, and double its investment in the market this year.

刘颖

TRANSLATIONS

上周三，从事个人对个人（P2P）租房业务的初创公司Airbnb发布了在中国市场的新品牌名：“爱彼迎”，寓意“让爱彼此相迎”。

重新命名是Airbnb扩大在华影响力的一步棋，Airbnb还宣布将启动旅行平台Trips，为中国本土旅游体验添砖加瓦。（该平台已推出一些文化活动，包括上海本地昆曲的主题游。）

和硅谷其他许多公司一样，Airbnb着眼中国，寻求巨大的商机。但事实证明，中国是西方科技业初创公司——“独角兽”难以攻克的市场。虽然不必处理棘手的审查问题，但Airbnb在中国必须面对本土企业的竞争，其中包括途家网和小猪网这样颇有实力的短租平台。此前在遭遇中国同行滴滴出行挑战时，美国
享租车服务商优步就选择了退出。从这个业界周知的例子可以看出，中国的对手不容小觑。

尽管如此，Airbnb仍希望这次重新命名会搏得中国游客、特别是80、90后的青睐，加快在华开拓步伐。迄今为止，已有超过530万中国游客通过Airbnb订房间、公寓或者房屋，该平台目前提供约8万个国内房源。Airbnb还透露，去年该司服务的中国出境游客增长了142%。

Airbnb的首席执行官布莱恩•切斯基在声明中表示：“中国年轻一代的旅行者看世界的角度不同以往。”

Airbnb表示，为支持挺进中国市场，公司在中国本土的员工将从60人增加到180多人，今年对华投资也将翻倍。