AirBnB Will Invest $100,000 to Advertise Rentals in ‘Shithole Countries’

The CEO of popular home rental app AirBnB has promised to invest $100,000 in advertising for rentals available in Kenya, Ghana, and Haiti which have reportedly been referred to as “shithole countries” by President Trump.

Fortune.com reports that AirBnB has promised to spend $100,000 to advertising AirBnB rental locations in countries such as Kenya, Ghana, and Haiti after a recent report claimed that President Trump referred to some of those countries as “shitholes.” There has been much debate over whether or not President Trump did, in fact, make these comments, but AirBnB has decided to defend countries that they feel may have been spoken poorly of by advertising rentals in those locations. AirBnB claims that 75,000 hosts in these locations earned as much as $170 million in 2017 and stated that they want to “encourage more travelers to visit these special and beautiful places,” as part of “our mission to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.”

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky highlighted several AirBnB locations available for rent in these areas via Twitter:

Another magical place to stay in the beautiful country of Ghana https://t.co/ouKDH8jx5q pic.twitter.com/sjQyvWJDNL

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 12, 2018

Finally, how 'bout this home in Kenya. These are nice places! https://t.co/6NST46TbMG pic.twitter.com/jVQKp8eHMx

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 13, 2018

As a company, AirBnB is no stranger to entering the world of politics. In February of 2017 the company ran a SuperBowl ad titled “#WeAccept” which centered on the company’s promotion of multiculturalism. The company also plans to provide housing for 100,000 people, including refugees, for free in the coming years as part of the #WeAccept campaign, “Today we’re setting a goal to provide short-term housing over the next five years for 100,000 people in need. We’ll start with refugees, disaster survivors, and relief workers, though we want to accommodate many more types of displaced people over time,” the company’s founders announced via email.

“To help people around the world facing displacement, we’ll work with our community of hosts to find not just a place to stay, but also a place to feel connected, respected, and a part of a community again,” Airbnb stated. “In addition, Airbnb will contribute $4 million over the course of four years to the International Rescue Committee to support the most critical needs of displaced populations globally.” The company also offered free accommodation to anyone affected by President Trump’s travel ban in January of 2017.