Airbnb cancels 'Great Wall of China competition' after it upsets social media users
Airbnb, Great wall of china
Airbnb had called users from its 11 biggest markets-- China, US, Britain, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain and France to write an essay on 'why it is important to break down barriers between cultures'.
After facing backlash on social media, online room booking and hospitality service providing company, Airbnb called off competition on Wednesday inviting people to sleep over at the Great Wall of China.
Airbnb had called usersfrom its 11 biggest markets-- China, US, Britain, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain and France to write an essay on "why it is important to break down barriers between cultures".
But after it the company announced it online, users of China's social media site Weibo were outraged over the competition as one user said,“The Great Wall is a cultural relic and protected monument. Can a project like this get approval? Is this really legal?” on Airbnb's post.
People further showed concerns over the possible damage toover 2 thousand-year-old structure.
However, the companyresponded to the concernsthat they won't even "hammer one nail" on the great wall.
Due to the continuous backlash, the company issued a statement online calling off the competition.
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"We have made the decision to not move forward with this event and instead we are working on a range of other experiences and initiatives that showcase China as a destination and highlight how people-to-people travel can drive human connections," the statement read.
Airbnb further informed in the statement that there was an agreement in place which allowed them to announce the event, but that the company "deeply respect[s]" the feedback it's received.
According to local media reports, there are no laws in China banning people from sleeping at the site, in fact, some companies even offer camping trips but China does prohibit building any facilities.
The competition called "Night at the Great Wall" was announced last week and was supposed to be ending Saturday.
The four selectedwinners would have been receiveda night stay at open roof bedroom with candlesconverted from watchtowers at the UNESCO world heritage.
The winnerswere also allowed to bring one guest each with them with all expense related to visa, air ticket, mealpaid.
The idea for the competition came after a collaboration between Airbnb and the state-owned Beijing Badaling Tourism Company.