Airbnb

AFPCopyright: AFP

As we reported earlier, some European leaders have been talking up the prospects for the summer holiday season. Many people seem to be thinking along the same lines - online holiday booking platform Airbnb has seen a jump in bookings from Europeans as they begin to plan their holidays after lockdown, according to the Financial Times.

Chief executive Brian Chesky told the paper there had been a surge in domestic bookings in Denmark and the Netherlands. Norway, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland have also seen some improvement in their domestic bookings, the company said.

"The recovery is better than what we had forecast even two weeks ago. Is it a temporary recovery? Is it a permanent recovery? Nobody knows," Chesky said.

Airbnb announced on Tuesday that it was to cut about 25% of its staff- some 1,900 people of its 7,500-strong workforce - due to the coronavirus pandemic.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The head of Visit Cornwall says a decision by Airbnb UK to stop taking bookings "should have been taken weeks ago."

Last week Malcolm Bell accused Airbnb of continuing to advertise holiday lets on its website during the coronavirus lockdown.

The home rental firm has today announced it will restrict UK bookings to keyworkers and "essential stays".

The company said that the measure would last until at least 18 April.

Mr Bell said: "They don’t get any credit from me as we have been trying to get them to do this for more than two weeks."

"This is a worldwide pandemic and they are an international company – they should have done this a long time ago", he said.

Ian Blackford has said tourists are still coming to Skye because of the “irresponsibility” of Airbnb.

The SNP Westminster leader told Good Morning Scotland a family member had met tourists on the island and said locals are really worried about the situation.

Mr Blackford said the holiday home website, and property owners, are “bringing risk to our community on the basis of greed”.

The SNP MP wants Airbnb to suspend listings to stop people having the option to book holiday homes during the lockdown.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Airbnb is the latest US company to pledge it will serve society. Has the corporate world grown a conscience?

Corey Klein would like to believe Airbnb's recent promise that it will make a "positive contribution to society".

But the 37-year-old lawyer, who lives directly below one of the platform's rentals in New Jersey, has his doubts.

Read our story here