Tourists – and their holiday money – are coming directly into communities instead of to hotel chains, thanks to the spare-room rental website Airbnb. Founded in 2008, it allows guests to pay to let a spare room on a short-term basis. According to a new study by the company, nearly 45 per cent of hosts – nearly a quarter of whom earn less than $25,000 a year – say that having paying guests has helped them to afford to stay in their home.
Rhinos, elephants and tigers have enjoyed their second consecutive year without attacks from poachers in Nepal. Since 2011, poachers have only managed to kill one rhino, bucking the upwards trend globally. Authorities share profits from ecotourism with local communities, including park entry fees, giving them a stake in keeping the animals alive. The numbers of both rhinos and tigers are now rising: in 2009, there were 121 tigers in national parks, by 2013 there were 198.
