Travel on Airbnb generates USD 85b in USA’s economic activity

Dhaka: In 2023, Airbnb guests travelled to more than 100,000 cities and towns around the world making it the most dispersed year of travel ever on the platform. In the US, nearly 600 cities and towns welcomed their first guest, demonstrating that travel on Airbnb continues to be a popular way for people to experience new places. As per a newly released economic analysis, travel on Airbnb generated more than USD 85 billion in economic impact across the US in 2023.

In addition, for every USD 100 spent on an Airbnb stay, guests spent about USD 264 on other goods and services such as local businesses, restaurants, attractions, shops and more.

The report uses insights from IMPLAN Cloud, a software that combines data and analytics, to better understand how home sharing supports economic activity in communities across the US. The analysis looked at direct spending from Airbnb guests, as well as the indirect and induced effects from visitor spending in 2023.

In 2023, 87 per cent of hosts in the US reported they ​​recommend restaurants, shops and other local attractions located in the neighbourhood of their listing to guests. By welcoming guests who then patronise local businesses, hosts on Airbnb helped support approximately one million US jobs in 2023 across multiple sectors, including restaurants, arts and entertainment, retail, and more.

These jobs generated an estimated USD 50 billion in income for workers in key industries and with many Airbnb listings located in areas without hotels, this income benefits people in communities outside traditional tourism hubs.

In 2023, guests on Airbnb reported they spent an estimated USD 210 per day during their trip and approximately 40 per cent of their spending was in the neighborhood of their listing. In total, guests who travelled on Airbnb generated more than USD 80 billion in visitor spending in 2023 by supporting local small businesses, restaurants, transportation and other establishments.

Guest spending also generated more than USD 24 billion in taxes, including more than USD 2.2 billion in tourism related taxes collected and remitted by Airbnb on behalf of Hosts.

In 2023, hosts in the US earned more than USD 24 billion and the typical host earned an estimated USD 14,000 by welcoming visitors to their community.

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