Mumbai, Jul 22 (PTI) To support the recovery of tourism industry, Airbnb on Wednesday announced the launch of 'Enhanced Cleaning Protocol' for its local hosts in the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative is one of the first overarching standardised protocols for cleaning and sanitisation for homestays in the country, and is aimed at providing guidance to hosts offering small-scale accommodations, which has been reviewed by the Indian Medical Association, the company said in a statement.

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"With the health and safety of our guests and hosts in India top of mind, these Enhanced Cleaning Protocols are the need of the hour in the sector," Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager - Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said.

These measures are aimed at restoring traveller confidence and towards driving the systematic recovery of communities through the economic impact of tourism and travel, he added.

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"We are working to bring our hosts global best practices backed by expert counsel and medical guidance from professionals who are at the forefront of the industry. We strongly believe that this can inform an industry-wide standard," Bajaj said

These industry-first guidelines include a step-by-step cleaning handbook designed for everyday hosts, the company said.

Hosts who attest to follow the program will receive a special badge on their listing, making it easy for guests to identify and book listings that follow the homestay industry's most robust set of cleaning standards, the statement said.

The protocol is also endorsed by prominent medical practitioners globally, it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)