Airbnb Supports Heritage Protection, Joins Greek Historic Mansions Initiative

Photo source: Visit Greece

Airbnb has joined forces with the Athens-based Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) supporting an annual initiative to open historic mansions and houses across Greece to the public next year.

Airbnb supports ELLET’s initiative, which will take place on May 24-26, 2024, on occasion of the “European Private Heritage Week”, a European Historic Houses Association (EHHA) idea.

Ten historic mansions across Greece will open their doors for free offering visitors the chance to appreciate their cultural value and architectural wealth while raising awareness about the need to preserve cultural heritage and promote sustainable tourism development, said ELLET.

“We believe this collaboration will contribute significantly to the goals of our project, currently in its 4th year, and will open to the public valuable cultural heritage monuments in at least 10 historic locations in Greece,” said ELLET 2nd Vice President Yannis Michail.

“With nearly 400 historic homes on Airbnb in Greece, there is an abundance of historical diversity to experience and enjoy. With this partnership, we want to highlight these benefits to more people and spread the message to towns, villages and lesser-known locations across the country,” said Airbnb Country Manager for Greece Giacomo Trovato.

Photo source: Visit Greece

According to Airbnb data, there are currently over 50,000 listings in the “Historic Homes” category and just under 70 percent of European historic homes on Airbnb are located in non-urban areas thus helping to spread the benefits of tourism to rural and less-visited destinations.

In view of the growing demand for heritage-related travel and the potential economic benefits for local communities and the tourism industry, Airbnb has donated nearly 10 million euros to heritage organizations in Europe and entered partnerships with heritage associations in Portugal, Spain, France, UK, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and Poland. Airbnb also runs the “Heritage Academy”, which offers training and guidance for hosts leasing out historic homes as short-term tourist rentals.

ELLET’s Historic Mansions initiative was launched in 2018, as part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) activities.