Airbnb and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly drive the country’s green growth agenda through a series of initiatives. As travel returns, the MoU collaboration aims to help revitalise post-pandemic travel and support Malaysia’s target of becoming a carbon-neutral nation by 2050 as stipulated in the 12th Malaysia Plan.
Specifically, Airbnb and MGTC will work to educate Malaysia’s Airbnb Host community on how to incorporate sustainable practices into their day-to-day hospitality operations and offerings. Both parties will also work to empower Malaysians to reduce their carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable travel habits.
Key areas of collaboration include conducting sustainability workshops for accommodation providers and Airbnb Hosts in Malaysia, co-creating an energy conservation guide for Airbnb listings in Malaysia, and partnering with MGTC’s flagship event International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) – one of Southeast Asia’s largest trade events for green technologies and eco solutions.
Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said, “Last year, Airbnb launched our inaugural Green Stays Awards to celebrate and drive visibility around Malaysia’s wide variety of innovative, environmentally conscious travel accommodation. Today, we are excited to continue this work through our MoU with MGTC. Malaysians are increasingly prioritizing conscious travel; and we are committed to working with MGTC to develop green competencies in the tourism industry and empower our local Hosts and guests to go green in their daily living, hosting and traveling.”
Ts. Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor, Group Chief Executive Officer of MGTC, said, “Our first-ever MoU with global hospitality platform Airbnb marks a stepping stone for public-private collaboration to further Malaysia’s green growth agenda. To make green living a reality in Malaysia, we need to start with our community. We look forward to working hand in hand with Airbnb to educate Malaysians and businesses on small steps they can take towards reducing their carbon emissions, and to cultivate greener lifestyles and sustainable traveling habits. ”
From Ecotourism to the Everyday
In conjunction with the partnership, Airbnb hosted a panel discussion titled ‘From Ecotourism to the Everyday: Evolving trends in Malaysia’s green tourism landscape’ with Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Airbnb; Ts. Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Green Technology And Climate Change Corporation (MGTC); and Siti Norasiah, an award-winning Malaysian Airbnb Host who converted an old unused university bus into a thoughtfully designed Airbnb stay with energy-saving appliances and a rainwater collection and filtration system.
The panelists discussed how green tourism is changing Malaysia’s tourism landscape, key challenges faced in fostering green tourism, and ways to help make green living more accessible for everyday Malaysians.
Siti Norasiah Abd. Kadir and Affan Nasaruddin, Airbnb co-Hosts and Silver Winners of the 2021 Airbnb Green Stays Awards, shared: “We’re proud that our project to convert a bus into an Airbnb Stay has made a positive impact. Our booking proceeds help fund Universiti Malaya’s sustainability initiatives, and we always encourage our guests to adopt more green habits, starting with their overnight stay in our bus! We hope to see more everyday Malaysians embracing green living and green practices. Whether as Hosts or guests, we can all do our part to embrace a more eco-friendly lifestyle.”
