Airbnb celebrates 300-fold increase in summer bookings
Airbnb reported 17 million people worldwide booked a stay on its platform this summer, over 300 times more than five years ago.
The Airbnb Summer Travel Report said a total of 30 million have booked stays on Airbnb so far this year.
Breaking down the stats, the report said guests came from more than 57,000 cities in 150 different countries and nearly one million guests stayed with hosts worldwide on August 8, the busiest day of summer.
It is not just traditional houses, apartments or villas that have proven popular this summer.
The report said 50,000 stayed on boats, 25,000 in RVs and 13,000 booked a vacation in a castle.
Airbnb data shows Cuba and Philadelphia as the fastest growing markets in the last six months, likely spurred by huge demand for accommodations during Pope Francis’ visit to both destinations later this month.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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