Airbnb sees rapid growth in Russia amid recession

The online lodging service Airbnb has seen rapid growth in Russia as the country’s economic recession forces more Russians to look for ways to supplement their incomes, the Bloomberg news agency reported Tuesday.

The Russian business of San Francisco-based Airbnb has doubled during the past year, propelling Moscow into the world’s top 10 cities with the most bookings, Bloomberg reported.

“The traditional Russian mindset of ‘my home is my castle’ is changing as more people open up and seek extra income to cope with the economic turmoil,” Andrew Verbitsky, head of Airbnb in Russia, told Bloomberg.