Tujia targets realty in Japan, vies with leader Airbnb

TOKYO and BEIJING - Tujia.com, China's largest vacation rental platform, seeks to boost its Japan listings tenfold in two years as it vies with Airbnb Inc to capitalize on the nation's tourism boom.

The Beijing-based startup aims to increase the number of properties available for holiday rental to about 100,000 by 2019 from 10,000 now, Tomoko Suzuki, chief executive officer of the Japanese unit, said in an interview in Tokyo.

About half of the listings are owned by Chinese investors, she said, adding that Tujia may buy lodgings of its own in the future.