March 29, 2019, Oisterwijk, Netherlands - A day before van Gogh's 166th birthday, Airbnb announces it will donate more than €25,000 to the Van Gogh Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to van Gogh's heritage in Brabant. The donation is part of Airbnb's Community Tourism Program, a fund launched in 2017 to support local projects in regions, bring people together and preserve local heritage.
The donation will be used to attract more visitors by improving educational programs at the three Van Gogh Heritage Centers (Nuenen, Zundert and Etten-Leur). This is the largest donation the foundation has ever received from a tourism partner, as well as the largest donation from an international donor. The Province of North Brabant has also agreed to supplement the donation, bringing the total amount to more than €90,000.
In addition to the donation, Airbnb has also partnered with the Van Gogh Heritage Foundation to create three new Social Impact Experiences. Social Impact Experiences are a special category of Airbnb Experiences, where Airbnb does not charge a service fee, so 100% of the revenue goes directly to the nonprofit organization. Ranging from unique walks in the places where van Gogh painted, to listening to unknown stories about Vincent's private life, these Experiences will be a new source of revenue for the foundation in the coming years, allowing visitors to see beyond the museums by bringing the artist's works to life and spreading tourism throughout his home region.