Hoteliers may consider Airbnb the Evil Empire of accommodations, but it doesn’t mean they can’t glean insights when they release data. On Monday, Airbnb released a report about its booking data and consumer research that showed who’s traveling this summer, where they’re going and for how long.
And because you keep your friends close and your enemies closer, there is news on how Airbnb is upgrading (100-plus) its offerings. These major upgrades range from a new way for guests to search on Airbnb, a new 10-step process to become a host, and information on better customer support. Among the changes, the company is rolling out flexible matching and destinations. It is also keeping its flexible dates option, which was announced in February.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said some of the changes were made because consumers are less tethered to home and work, which allows them to travel more and for longer stretches. Click here for the upgrade details.
First, the data. Summer travel on Airbnb shows family travel spiking from 27% of overall nights booked in summer 2019 to 33% in summer 2021 globally, 31% in the U.S.; and of that family travel, 42% of the nights booked are in rural destinations, up from 32% the summer of 2019.
In 2015, rural travel accounted for less than 10% of nights booked globally on Airbnb, and in 2021, it now accounts for more than double that and is oftentimes triple that in many countries, including Canada (43%), France (45%), the U.K. (48%), Australia (42%), and the U.S. (28%).
Though rural destinations are trending this summer, travelers are starting to return to cities and for longer periods of time. The top three destinations for long-term stays on Airbnb are all cities. In New York, 62% of summer nights booked in the city are for long-term stays, and in Seattle and Los Angeles, long term stays are at 40% 43%, respectively, this summer.