While many American companies continue to make preparations for the loosened travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba, online-home rental marketplace Airbnb says it already has properties available on the island for booking.
Reuters reports that the company added more than 1,000 rental listings in the country shortly after President Obama announced earlier this year that he would begin normalizing relations with Cuba.
Airbnb says that following the announcement in December that Americans could travel to the country for certain reasons such as family visits and education, there was a 70% spike in searches for rentals in Cuba.
For now the company’s Cuba services are only open to U.S. travelers, and those people must be able to prove they have a license from the U.S. government to travel to the island.
Reuters reports that National Foreign Trade Council, a lobbying group focused on international trade, believes the expanded Airbnb offerings in Cuba could go a long way in meeting demand for travelers’ accommodations.
Airbnb joins a list of other American companies looking to capitalize off of restored diplomatic ties between the two countries. In early March, reports surfaced that Amazon was testing a “ship to Cuba” button on its website.
Airbnb opens rental listings for U.S. travelers to Cuba [Reuters]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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