Airbnb partnered with genomics and biotechnology company 23andMe to conduct research into travel trends among Australians, and discovered that Aussie tourists are now embarking on ‘heritage’ travel trips, where they visit destinations their ancestors are from to gain a better understanding of their family history.
The research found that 58 per cent of Australians have visited at least one country their ancestors hailed from, and that since 2014 the number of travellers using Airbnb for accommodation on ancestry discovery trips has increased by 500 per cent. Interestingly, people aged 60 to 90 are the age group most likely to set out on a heritage holiday of discovery.
Thanks to the popularity of at-home genetic testing, getting to know where your ancestors came from has never been easier than ever. And it’s the easy access to such information that is driving the current trend of heritage travel.
"We've heard from so many of our customers that they not only discover something new about their heritage through 23andMe, but also that they want a way to take this further and explore their roots,” said Robin Smith, Head of Ancestry Product, 23andMe. “We're excited to team up with Airbnb to encourage people to travel more meaningfully, or even explore their roots in their own backyard."
23andMe is now offering customers a new hybrid ancestry experience. Once a customer receives their ancestry reports, they will be able to click through to their ancestral populations and find Airbnb Homes and Experiences in their native countries. Additionally, Airbnb now has dedicated pages that correspond with 23andMe’s genetic populations, so that travellers coming to Airbnb’s site will be able to easily plan a heritage trip.
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