Saturday, March 5, 2022

"People around the world are booking Airbnbs in Ukraine. They don't plan to check in"

A social media campaign has led people around the world to book Airbnb's in Ukraine without planning to check in, to help get money to Ukrainians as Russia continues its attacks and many services are stopped as a result. Because Airbnb typically pays 24 hours after guests check in, organizers of the campaign suggested booking as close to the check-in date as possible so hosts receive fees quickly as well as urging people to check that rentals are operated by individuals instead of companies. Airbnb has also offered temporary housing in neighboring countries to up to 100,000 Ukrainians who are fleeing due to the Russian invasion. People have also encouraged others to purchase from Ukrainian merchants on Etsy but to ask sellers not to send any goods, and Etsy has canceled current balances and fees from all sellers in Ukraine. Overall, Ukrainians have said how important both the messages of support and money are, and others have said that supporting Ukrainians directly through Airbnb has felt like it is having a more immediate impact than donating to larger organizations. 

By: Madelyn Milowski

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ukraine-airbnb-donations-cec/index.html 

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