Airbnb taps into China's baby boom and growing middle class
The increasing number of children being born in China is contributing to a rise in demand for accommodation-sharing sites like Airbnb. The country's government relaxed its one-child policy at the start of 2016, leading to the largest number of births recorded for 17 years. Travel agents in the growing domestic tourism market report that families are increasingly looking for family-friendly accommodation with kitchens and other facilities that allow parents and their children to stay together more comfortably. The Chinese branch of Airbnb also cites rising incomes as a factor of the higher demand.

Thanks to the surge of newborns, brought about by China’s second-child policy, home-sharing sites such as Airbnb are becoming increasingly popular. Photo: AFP