Airbnb Stops Check-Ins In Beijing Due To Coronavirus Outbreak

Airbnb Inc. has decided to halt check-ins at all of its Beijing listings until March due to local regulations in China that aim to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

What Happened

Airbnb has released a statement which said that it would offer refunds to all those customers who have been affected. The company said that it decided to cancel check-ins to adhere to the municipal policy. 

“In light of the novel coronavirus outbreak and guidance from local authorities for the short-term rental industry during this public health emergency, bookings of all listings in Beijing with check-in from 7 February 2020 to 29 February 2020 have been suspended,” Airbnb said in its statement. "The company appreciates that disease control efforts are causing overall travel disruptions that also affect our community of guests and hosts.”

Why It Matters

Airbnb has previously already activated its extenuating circumstances policy in light of the coronavirus epidemic. Airbnb’s Chinese competitor Xiaozhu is also following suit. 

Tujia, one more Chinese Airbnb rival, has said that the suspension guidance issued by authorities in Beijing had also affected most of its listings and that they were working with hosts to “study measures that would restore confidence.”

In 2018, the home-share market in China was valued at CNY 16.5 billion ($2.35 billion), the market was projected to grow by 50% over the course of the next three years.

Photo Credit: Public domain photo via Wikimedia.