Airbnb hosts rake in €3,500 for rentals
THE Airbnb community generated an estimated €506m for residents and businesses in Ireland in the year to November 2017.
According to the firm’s first Irish insights report, Ireland has enjoyed an inbound guest growth of 63pc, with a typical host here earning roughly €3,500 annually, with a typical listing being shared for 37 nights.
Every region in Ireland now has at least 400 active spare room and entire home listings on the online hospitality platform, as more and more hosts choose to share their space to boost their income.
The numbers of listings reached 8,500 in Dublin County, with the vast majority of Airbnb hosts (70pc) renting out their primary home.
The report found that guests using the platform also contribute to the local economy, spending an average of €111 per day. This spending increased to an average of €129 in Dublin, with almost half (41pc) of the spending by guests taking place in the neighbourhood where they are staying.
In terms of guest growth, the fastest-growing destinations, as measured by inbound guest growth, were the north-west of Ireland (101pc) and the midlands (87pc).
Meanwhile, the average age of a host was 45, with the host having lived in their neighbourhood for 26 years, the report found.
Aisling Hassell, Ireland Site Lead and Global Head of Customer Experience, said: “Ireland’s vibrant communities and unique hospitality have continued to bring more visitors to the country than ever before, with hosts right across the country benefiting from record-breaking growth in guest arrivals on Airbnb. “From Westmeath to Wexford, millennials to seniors, and castles to treehouses, there’s something for everyone on Airbnb.”
Overall Airbnb was used by 676,000 Irish guests over the last year, a rise of 98pc, with at least 17pc of those guests opting for a staycation in Ireland.
The report follows data released earlier this month by Eurostat, the official statistical arm of the EU, which confirmed that Ireland was one of the most popular home-sharing destinations in Europe, with roughly one in five Irish residents arranging accommodation with another private individual via an online platform, the third-highest in Europe after the UK and Luxembourg.