Airbnb considers China crucial to global expansion plans

United States' home­sharing platform Airbnb is doubling down on China through a suite of new services to reach an untapped segment of travelers in the country that the firm predicts will become its most significant market by 2020.

Efforts to enhance service consistency include an expanded accommodation portfolio and host training sessions, as it takes on hotels with standardized services, according to Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb's co-­founder and China chairman.

"Our goal is to welcome more than 1 billion guests by 2028, and we cannot reach this goal without our Airbnb China community," said Blecharczyk, who forecast China to be the platform's largest source of guests in the next three years.