Peer-to-peer travel services getting stronger in Asia

Peer-to-peer services like Couchsurfing and Airbnb are changing the way many people travel by facilitating connections between strangers to arrange short-term lodging and international friendships. While this new way of traveling and doing business is becoming wildly popular in Western countries, staying in the homes of strangers is finding far more resistance is Asia where it is culturally less acceptable. Several companies, including Backstreet Academy are looking to change this culture and revolutionize travel throughout Asia by offering a peer-to-peer travel platform for experiences outside of lodging, including tours, cooking classes and other educational experiences. Backstreet Academy vets local providers who offer each experience, and even trains some of them in partnership with NGOs to become official Backstreet Academy Hosts. By educating local people to profit directly from their country’s value as a tourist destination, the company is helping raise incomes while making peer-to-peer travel services a more integral part of Asian cultures.