Know your roots: Airbnb, 23andMe to offer heritage travel recommendations

Tech giant Airbnb is teaming up with 23andMe, the biotech firm best known for genomics reports about family history and health, to deliver heritage travel recommendations in user experiences.

Heritage travel is a pilgrimage to uncover family histories in their ancestors’ towns, cities, or countries. About 89% of people in India and 69% of those in France and the US have travelled to at least one country of their ancestry.

In addition, many travellers in Australia, India, the UK and Brazil say that visiting a place connected with their relatives will be the most important consideration when planning their next vacation.

23andMe customers will now be able to sift through their ancestral populations to find Airbnb Homes and Experiences located in their ancestral countries.

Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe CEO and co-founder, said: “We empower 23andMe customers to learn about themselves and their ancestry through their unique genetic code. Working with Airbnb provides an exciting opportunity for our customers to connect with their heritage through deeply personal cultural and travel experiences.”

Airbnb revealed that the number of travellers using its booking platform to trace their roots increased by 500% in the past five years, driven mostly by older guests aged 60-90.

“Authentic travel experiences help you connect with local cultures and create a sense of belonging”

Joe Gebbia,  Airbnb co-founder and chief product officer, said: “At Airbnb, we believe that authentic travel experiences help you connect with local cultures and create a sense of belonging anywhere in the world — and what better way to do that than travelling to your roots? We’re proud to team up with 23andMe, the leader in helping people learns about their genes and ancestry, to make it easier for travellers to plan trips as unique as their DNA.”