Dear Withlocals hosts,
I’d like to give you a personal update on the impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) on Withlocals and what we are going to do to get through this. We have all seen a lot of news about how the travel industry is affected and I want to address your concerns, starting with this message.
Withlocals has been hit by high cancellation rates and lower booking numbers, but the impact for many of you, our hosts, is even more direct. We started Withlocals to connect people with cultures and you play a vital role in this mission. I want you to know that we are going to come out stronger by working together with all of you.
First of all, I want to share my sympathies for those who have been directly affected by the Coronavirus. I wish you, your family, friends, and relatives well and I hope for a speedy recovery.
I understand you might be worried about the future of the Withlocals platform. I can assure you: we are here to stay! Of course we have to be mindful of the budget. Our team is actively optimizing our marketing spend and constantly looking for ways to improve the value of each booking. We have the backup and support from our investors and team members to continue to deliver great experiences for our guests and help our hosts share their passion with travelers.
Finally, I’m reaching out to all of you to see how we can work together. We will host several workshops to discuss your ideas, find opportunities we can work on together and drive actions that will help us to make long-lasting improvements for you, for our guests and for Withlocals.
We’ll be in touch shortly with next steps and if you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to us at hosts@withlocals.com.
To all of you: we are going to do this together. Stay strong!
Matthijs
Withlocals CEO