Airbnb押注中国以求盈利突破

2014年，中国出境游的规模已达1.09亿人次。

尽管担心中国经济下滑，但房屋租赁服务公司Airbnb还是可能押注中国，希望借助中国市场实现首次盈利。

据《金融时报》报道，Airbnb统计数据显示，在2015年夏天之前一年内，通过Airbnb实现出境游的中国客户增加了700%，根据这一关键指标，中国已成为Airbnb增长最快的市场。此外，在Airbnb最新获得的15亿美元融资中，就有一家来自北京的公司参与了投资，并且Airbnb一直在与中国风险投资公司合作，推动在中国市场的业务。

为什么中国对其如此重要？Airbnb引用世界旅游组织的数据表示，2014年，中国出境游的游客人数达到1.09亿人次，自2012年以来，中国一直是旅游支出最多的国家。

但这种策略也面临一定的风险。中国政府倾向于保护本土公司，尤其是科技领域的竞争对手。不过，叫车服务初创公司Uber在中国一直面临着法律障碍和本土竞争的问题。（财富中文网）

译者: 刘进龙/汪皓

Chinese travelers took 109 million trips in 2014.

Despite worries of an economic slowdown in China, home-rental service Airbnb may be placing a big bet on the nation with hopes that it could help the startup turn its first profit.

A Financial Times report points to a stat that Airbnb shared over the summer: Outbound travel from Chinese guests through Airbnb grew 700% over the course of a year, making it the fastest-growing market for that key metric. The company also recently secured funds from a Beijing-based firm as part of a $1.5 billion capital-raising round and has partnered with Chinese venture capital groups to push further into the market, the FTreports.

Why is China so important? Airbnb, citing the World Tourism Organization, says Chinese travelers took 109 million trips in 2014 and that Chinese travelers have been the world’s top spenders in international tourism since 2012.

There is some risk to this strategy. The Chinese government prefers to protect its homegrown companies, in particular those that compete in the tech world. Ride-hailing startup Uber has faced its own issues in China where it is challenged by legal obstacles and local competition.