# Airbnb Shifts Strategy: Targeting Locals Over Tourists with Experiences
Brian Chesky, Airbnb's CEO, is betting that the future of travel experiences lies not in chasing tourists but in serving the people who actually live in cities. This contrarian move marks a fundamental shift in how the platform approaches its Experiences vertical, a segment that has struggled to compete with established players like Viator, Klook, and GetYourGuide.
For years, the experiences industry operated on a simple premise. Tour operators and activity platforms market their offerings to travelers planning trips. They optimize for Google searches like "things to do in Barcelona" or "Rome walking tours." The entire ecosystem revolves around converting tourists into paying customers. Airbnb initially followed this playbook, promoting experiences through its main app to guests visiting new cities.
Chesky's new thinking challenges that orthodoxy. By targeting locals instead of tourists, Airbnb can build a fundamentally different product. A local seeking weekend activities in their own city behaves differently from a visitor hunting for canonical tourist experiences. Locals want discovery, spontaneity, and authentic connections. They're less interested in the Colosseum photo op and more interested in a street art workshop with a neighborhood artist or a supper club in a converted warehouse.
This shift unlocks several advantages. First, it reduces direct competition with Viator and Klook, which have already captured substantial tourist market share through aggressive marketing and established partnerships with hotels. Second, locals represent a more stable, recurring revenue base. They book repeatedly throughout the year. Third, the dynamics favor Airbnb's core strength: community and belonging. The company has already positioned itself as a platform for authentic local living through its accommodation business. Experiences become a natural extension.
The data suggests Chesky's team has already "cracked" this market, using his phrase. Early results indicate that locals do use the platform, and they do so in ways that differ meaningfully from tourist behavior. This opens a runway for organic growth that doesn't depend on competing directly with tourism-focused distribution channels.
However, execution remains challenging. Airbnb must redesign discovery, filtering, and recommendations to serve locals effectively. The app's current interface still emphasizes travel dates and destination searches. Locals need different UX. They need "what's available this weekend" or "near my neighborhood" or "I have three hours free." Marketing also shifts. Airbnb can't rely solely on travel marketing. It needs to reach locals through social channels, word-of-mouth, and local partnerships.
The category itself remains small relative to accommodation. Experiences contributed roughly 2-3 percent of Airbnb's total revenue as of recent quarters. But growth in this segment has lagged overall company growth. By repositioning experiences as a local-first product rather than a tourist-second activity, Chesky signals that the company sees long-term potential in becoming a lifestyle platform, not just a travel booking engine.
If Airbnb succeeds, it transforms Experiences from a struggling tourist overlay into a sustainable local engagement business. That changes the competitive landscape entirely. Viator and GetYourGuide have built moats in tourism. Airbnb is building in neighborhoods.