Airbnb’s New Campaign Offers Young Londoners “Off- The- Grid” Outdoor Activities to Promote Well-Being
Written by Jade Phillips – 10 January 2025
Airbnb Experiences is launching a new campaign to help stressed and lonely Londoners swap their screens for real-life adventures in nature. Taking place in London’s green spaces, the campaign offers outdoor activities designed to boost young people’s mental well-being
Airbnb ́s campaign is addressing a critical issue for young Londoners. Studies show screen time has increased by 76% after the pandemic, with 73% of those aged 16-24 reporting feeling lonely a lot of the time. Recent studies from Deloitte show that 50% of the UK’s young adults say they often feel stressed and anxious.
Many youth spend hours alone and in front of their screens. Stress and anxiety are distracting them, and many are missing out on one of the capital’s best attributes: its green spaces.
“Living in London can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to escape the busy life,” says Oviya James, UK market lead for Airbnb. “We want to provide a way for young people to take a break from their screens and a chance to improve their well-being and lifestyle.”
In response to skyrocketing screen time and reports of stress and loneliness, Airbnb’s campaign seeks to tackle these challenges by reintroducing its feature “Experiences.”
Their Experiences offers everything from kayaking through London’s canals to a garden drawing session with artists. Designed to connect participants with nature and others, provides easy ways for young Londoners to get outdoors for the benefit of their mental and physical health. Spending time in nature helps lower stress levels, increase focus, improve mood and physical health.
“There is growing evidence that being in the outdoors can significantly reduce stress and anxiety amongst many other things,” says Dr. Johnson, a clinical psychologist. “Airbnb’s positive initiative provides healthy and enriching ways for young people to improve their well-being.”
Airbnb seeks to spark a long-term movement to promote well-being amongst the youth and drive as many young people as possible to unplug and rediscover the joy of being outdoors. For that reason, they partnered up with a few hosts to ensure that the activities will be inclusive.
Featuring wellness walks in the forest and yoga focusing on mindfulness and relaxation. These activities are one of many experiences that are easy to take part in, and do not require prior skills.
“We want the experiences to be as inclusive as possible,” says Oviya James. “It does not matter whether they are an expert or a new beginner, the only important thing is that young people can be present, face-to-face in a phone-free environment.”
The campaign will run through spring with key events happening in June. Updates about the campaign and events are available to browse on Instagram under @BeyondTheScreenAirbnb.