Vacation mode

"They have brought their families and friends, and each time we have a different experience," Zhang Beidi says.

Some of her guests have inquired about what they can do in March. "I told them that we can enjoy the sunshine, go for picnics and take photos among the rapeseed blossoms."

All three homestay runners received awards from the vacation rental provider Airbnb in January for their homestay businesses.

In a recent report, the company says Airbnb hosts in China are also local travel influencers, who can tell people on social media about ways to enjoy a destination. More than 80 percent of the hosts have another job and 90 percent have higher education. They mostly work in the fields of arts, entertainment, technology, information services and real estate.

The hosts have also brought employment to local communities where their businesses are located. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, 90 percent of the surveyed hosts showed eagerness to keep hosting guests in 2021, the report adds.

Guo, the homestay host from Chengdu, managed to ride out the situation last year. Most of his homestay-property owners agreed to reduce or exempt rents in the hardest time in China when guests withdrew reservations at the beginning of 2020. Things began to look up in April, when he saw a 20 percent occupancy rate. The figure grew to 90 percent after June.

Guo says he was still a little in the black throughout last year. He has rented another three homestays this year. "I'm optimistic about the market, and I will keep the business going in the long run."