In March 2021, Amanda Cupples was appointed general manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, the international online marketplace for lodgings. Although America has the largest number of Airbnb listings, Europe is an important region for Airbnb: the UK is a top country for domestic and international travel; and Ireland is home to the company’s international headquarters. Out of 220 countries with listings, four of the top five countries by number of listings are in Europe. In June 2021, Cupples announced a new Airbnb-run Community Fund in Edinburgh to boost Scottish tourism; whereby £5 from each booking in the Scottish capital will be donated to local causes throughout summer 2021. Cupples stressed that Airbnb’s determination “to do our part to help rebalance tourism in Scotland”. She is well placed to do so, having 20 years of entrepreneurial management and international operations in technology, digital, music, entertainment and health sectors: she was COO and CCO at digital health company, Babylon, and president at EMI Music.
