Airbnb is expanding its new Experiences service and two rival tour platforms claim the company tried to steal their tour guides.
Canada-based ToursByLocals and Netherlands-based Withlocals separately said that individuals with Airbnb email addresses created accounts on their websites and then violated their terms and conditions by sending messages to tour guides to recruit them for Airbnb Experiences.
“There is a better way to grow the travel experience space and it’s not by stealing platforms or stealing hosts,” said Lisa Chen, CEO of ToursByLocals, in a statement. “At ToursByLocals, our entire model is based on empowering local entrepreneurs and providing travelers with a more meaningful way to explore the world. Undermining that trust destroys the category instead of growing it.”
Chen told Skift that the company identified 14 ToursByLocals accounts created using 14 different Airbnb email addresses. The accounts are designed to allow customers to send messages to tour guides with questions about tours. However, according to Chen, the owners of these accounts attempted to move the conversations off the platform and suggest that the tour guides join Airbnb Experiences.
The terms and conditions of ToursByLocals state: “You may not use the site to recruit, attract or contact drivers for business offers.”
Chen said ToursByLocals disabled the Airbnb accounts. In 2024, ToursByLocals said it is working with more than 5,000 guides in 175 countries.
A source close to Airbnb told Skift that this kind of activity no longer takes place on ToursByLocals or Withlocals. Airbnb’s actions were limited in scope and do not reflect the company’s overall strategy to grow and expand its experiences and services business, the source said. 
