People across the world have left no stone unturned to offer support and stand in solidarity with war-hit Ukraine. Finding yet another way to help Ukrainians, several people have taken the Airbnb route, paying for rentals in Ukraine that they do not intend to stay in.
The move comes after @quentin.quarantino, a popular Instagram account suggested an initiative.
“Yesterday I shared an idea to support Ukraine by booking rooms for rent on Airbnb. 24 hours later, 100’s of people are booking AirBnBs in Ukraine as a way to send immediate monetary assistance to people in hard-hit areas,” he wrote on social media.
He further shared screenshots of a few conversations between the hosts and the guests of Airbnb.
Undertaking the initiative, Airbnb offered free housing to over 1,00,000 Ukrainian refugees and invited others to contribute and raise funds.
Also Read: Watch: Pianist plays ‘What a Wonderful World’ as civilians flee war-hit Ukraine
The campaign aims to provide monetary assistance to Ukrainian hosts in need.
The campaign garnered massive attention after Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, announced on Twitter to announce that around $2 million is going to the hosts in need, with over 60,000 nights booked in the war-hit country.
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“In 48 hours, 61,406 nights have been booked in Ukraine. That’s $1.9M going to hosts in need,” Chesky wrote.
Several people from across the world have booked rentals, adding heartfelt notes to hosts in Ukraine.
“I hope that you, and your lovely apartment, are safe and that this horrible war is over … and Ukraine is safe…I will come and see you one day, please count on it, and will stay with you when we visit. God bless you and God be with you, your city, your country,” read a message attached to a booking.
“We will be glad to see you in the peaceful city of Kyiv and hug,” the host responded.
On the flip side, the home rental platform announced the suspension of its operations in Russia and Belarus earlier this week.
