An Airbnb company official said on social media on Tuesday that Airbnb will stop listing homes and experiences within China this summer and will instead focus its business in the country on serving Chinese tourists seeking accommodation abroad.

Airbnb began listing in China in 2016, but it still represents only about 1% of the company's revenue in recent years.

The San Francisco-based company found that the local Chinese business is costly and complex to operate, and the pandemic made things worse.

There was little overlap between Airbnb's business inside China and meeting the needs of travelers abroad, which Airbnb hopes will limit the impact of suspending local listings.

Airbnb joins a series of foreign internet companies including Yahoo Inc and eBay Inc that withdrew from China after facing fierce local competition and regulatory barriers.

Nathan Blecharczyk, Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb China, said in a statement: "We have made the difficult decision to refocus our efforts in China on outbound travel and suspend our homes and host experiences in China, starting July 30, 2022."

The Chinese government has barred foreign tourists from trips since the pandemic spread in early 2020 and has advised the Chinese public to avoid unnecessary travel abroad for work or study.

International airlines and other travel companies operating in China expect borders and travel for Chinese citizens to eventually reopen, although the timing is unclear.