We aim to go beyond the traditional landmarks list

Experiences will be the new frontier of growth for vacation rental company Airbnb, says global Chief Financial Officer, Ellie Mertz. In an interview in New Delhi with Akshara Srivastava and Gulveen Aulakh, she says the company is betting big on the growing Indian middle class, and is partnering with the government to accelerate business growth in one of its fastest-growing markets globally. Edited excerpts:

- Ellie Mertz

What are Airbnb's key growth opportunities in the global market? We delivered incredible scale with nearly $82 billion in gross booking value (GBV) in 2024 and there are three major growth opportunities for us. The first one is continuing to optimise our core business of accommodations and ensuring high standards of services are offered at the right prices to drive value. The second is expanding into global markets, and the third is to expand what we offer.

Starting May this year, we are looking forward to expanding beyond accommodations, which is something we have on the platform but is not a big portion of the business yet.