Global accommodation rental service Airbnb has selected Cape Town as one of 12 cities internationally in which to launch Trips, described as a "people-powered platform" designed to enhance travel.

The platform is aimed at centralising key components of travel, including accommodation, activities and people, according to Airbnb and has been introduced with three focus areas including experiences, places and homes. Flights and Services will be added in the future, the company says.

"Until now, Airbnb has been about homes," said Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO. "Today, Airbnb is launching Trips, bringing together where you stay, what you do, and the people you meet all in one place. We want to make travel magical again by putting people back at the heart of every trip."

Airbnb describes 'experiences' as "handcrafted activities designed and led by local experts" that are included to offer "unprecedented access and deep insights into communities and places that you wouldn't otherwise come across..."

The platform has been introduced with approximately 500 experiences in 12 cities globally, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Havana, London, Paris, Florence, Nairobi, Tokyo and Seoul – and Cape Town.

The company says its accommodation portfolio features three million homes available to book across 191 countries

With the introduction of Trips, Airbnb has also put in place a new identity authentication process whereby hosts and guests will be required to scan an official government ID and then take a selfie.

"After the ID is authenticated, the ID and selfie will be reviewed to confirm that both pictures appear to match. This new identity authentication step is required for all Experiences users, and is also currently being tested for homes bookings. Trips also leverages Airbnb's existing Trust & Safety measures including a 250+ person global 24/7 support team, secure payments, messaging, profiles & reviews, and a new $1 million liability insurance program for eligible Experience hosts," the company has stated.

In April this year the company unveiled an updated app with new features and launched a global brand campaign dubbed 'Live There'.