Rural Areas Are Top Trending Destinations on Airbnb
Richmond, VA (July 15, 2020) — With summer now in full swing, many individuals and families are looking to stay safe while getting outside and responsibly discovering new destinations right in their own backyard — and for this, Shenandoah Valley is top of mind. Today, Airbnb announced that hosts around Shenandoah National Park saw a boost in income during the first half of this summer – with an increase of more than 60 percent compared to last year.
1 million nights booked
Airbnb also announced that, on July 8, guests booked more than 1 million nights’ worth of future stays at Airbnb listings around the world, in over 175 different countries and regions. It was the first day in more than four months, since March 3rd, that the 1 million nights threshold has been reached.
Most guests are not traveling far: Approximately half of these nights booked were for travel to destinations within 300 miles. Over two-thirds were for travel to destinations within 500 miles, both distances typically manageable by car. But they are looking to get away: Two-thirds of the nights booked were at destinations outside of cities.
Rural stays boost host income
Airbnb is seeing encouraging signs on the platform in regard to host income in rural areas. For example, hosts in rural areas of the US earned over $200 million in the month of June, an increase of more than 25 percent over what hosts in these areas earned in 2019.
Airbnb has always helped hosts across the US and around the world earn extra income. Hosts on Airbnb keep the vast majority of what they charge—accommodation hosts keep up to 97 percent of their listing price, and Experience hosts keep 80 percent—and since we got started, hosts have earned more than $100 billion by sharing their homes. This income is critical for many hosts and their families, and is a reason why even during the current pandemic, nine in 10 hosts surveyed tell us they plan to host the same amount or even more often once they’re able to welcome guests again.
Broad distribution of the benefits of tourism
Airbnb is a means to distribute the benefits of tourism more widely, leaving more of the spending in the communities where it happens, and bringing it to people and places that have not benefited as much from tourism in the past. In the month of June alone:
Airbnb guests in the US stayed in over 13,000 cities, and no single city represented more than 3 percent of host earnings for the month.
Over 200,000 hosts across all 50 US states plus Washington, DC earned at least $500 apiece from hosting in June. Of those, over 170,000, also across all 50 US states plus Washington, DC, earned more than $1,000 each.
More than nine out of every 10 dollars earned by hosts in the US for trips last month were made outside the 10 biggest US cities by population.
Traveling Safely and Responsibly
As guests look to travel safely, Airbnb listings are meeting guests’ new, emerging needs for increased cleanliness and privacy. 94 percent of all Airbnb reviews show that guests are satisfied with cleaning, scoring it at 4 or 5 stars after their stays. In addition, roughly three out of four guests recently surveyed by Airbnb said they would be more comfortable staying with their families in a listing than in a hotel with other people — as listings provide amenities like private kitchens and laundry, along with offering guests more control over their environment and travel experience.
Airbnb encourages hosts and guests to travel responsibly and review the guidance and health advisories issued by relevant governmental and health authorities in advance of any booking or trip.
Airbnb is also reminding hosts, travelers and policymakers of its new industry-leading Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, to support the safe reopening of travel. This includes a step-by-step cleaning handbook — with guidelines informed by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — to help hosts elevate their cleaning practices and prepare their home for guests. In addition, guests can easily identify and book listings, thanks to a new highlight on listings that opt-in to this Protocol.
About Airbnb
Airbnb is one of the world’s largest marketplaces for unique, authentic places to stay and things to do, offering over 7 million accommodations and 50,000 handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts. An economic empowerment engine, Airbnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities. With more than three quarters of a billion guest arrivals to date, and accessible in 62 languages across 220+ countries and regions, Airbnb promotes people-to-people connection, community and trust around the world.
