Airbnb將租房業務拓展至古巴

Airbnb has opened its site to Cuba, making it one of the first US companies to open shop on the island since the dramatic thaw in tensions between Washington and Havana last year.

空中食宿(Airbnb)向古巴開放了它的網站，成爲自美國與古巴兩國關係解凍以來，首家在古巴展開業務的美國企業之一。

After five decades of hostility, estrangement, and economic sanctions between the two countries, tourism to Cuba — historically dominated by Canadians and Europeans — is set to spike after President Barack Obama loosened travel restrictions in January.

在兩國間經歷了50年的敵對、疏遠和經濟制裁之後，今年1月，美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)放寬了對美國人赴古巴的旅遊限制。這一措施的出臺，會令古巴的外國遊客出現激增。傳統上去到古巴的遊客以加拿大人和歐洲人爲主。

Airbnb expects “significant demand” for Cuban rentals from Americans. US user searches for Cuba on Airbnb’s site have jumped 70 per cent since January, the company said.

空中食宿預計，美國人在古巴租房的需求將是巨大的。自1月以來，美國用戶在其網站搜索古巴的次數已躍升了70%。

The online house-rental start-up now allows licensed American travellers to book rooms at more than 1,000 listings across Cuba, many featuring ornate colonial design and cheap prices: the average rental in Havana costs $42 per night.

目前，通過這家在線租房初創企業，得到許可的美國遊客能預定遍佈古巴的逾1000間房舍的房間。其中許多房間不僅擁有華麗的殖民時代設計，價格也十分低廉：哈瓦那的平均租金爲每晚42美元。

“For over 50 years, Cuba has been out of reach for most Americans” said Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb’s co-founder. “When we founded Airbnb . . . our dream was to help create a world where you could belong anywhere . . .”

空中食宿共同創始人內森•布萊沙奇克(Nathan Blecharczyk)表示：“在超過50年的時間裏，古巴對多數美國人來說一直可望而不可及。在創建空中食宿時……我們的夢想就是幫助人們打造一個處處是我家的世界……”

Airbnb’s “sharing economy” business model makes Cuba a potential sweet spot. It does not face some of the roadblocks for traditional American hotels, who would have to buy property and hire employees to operate on the island.

對於空中食宿的“分享經濟”業務模式來說，古巴或將是一個絕佳的運營環境。這一模式可以避開傳統美國酒店營運商去古巴開展業務會遭遇到的障礙，包括需要買地，還需要聘用員工。

Rather, the $13bn company has soared in popularity as the middleman for people who want to rent out a spare room in their home.

相比之下，市值130億美元的空中食宿在古巴的人氣已急劇上升，那些想要出租家中多餘房間的人們將它視作中間人。

Still, limited internet and phone access in Cuba poses a problem for Airbnb, whose booking system operates entirely online. Only five per cent of Cubans have home access to the internet and less than a fifth have mobile phones, according to US officials.

不過，古巴上網和打電話的條件都十分有限，這對整個預訂系統都在網上的空中食宿是個大問題。美國官方數據顯示，可在家中上網的古巴人只佔5%，而擁有移動電話的則不到五分之一。

To enter this unplugged community, Airbnb has tapped into a local network of private home-stays — casas particulares — who have dominated the Cuban tourism industry for decades and make up a sizeable income for locals in an otherwise isolated, sluggish economy.

此外，由於古巴經濟開放的節奏十分緩慢，外國企業仍受制於當地監管規定及美國的制裁舉措。官方統計的數字顯示，自東歐劇變以來，在古巴設立的外國企業中，六成已關門大吉。