SCOTS BANK £87M SPARE ROOM CASH

Airbnb hosts welcome 1m guests

SCOTS raked in £87million over the last year from renting out their spare rooms on Airbnb.

A report from the accommodation website revealed more than a million visitors stayed in Scotland with the service in the year to July, with the average host earning £3600 a year.

Airbnb claim they have 21,900 active listings in Scotland on the site, with visitors generating a £400million boost to the economy.

James McClure, the firm’s general manager for northern Europe, said: “The staycation is incredibly popular in Scotland. Scottish guests represented the highest proportion of UK guests that chose to stay within their own region.

“This means that guests are not just using Airbnb to travel to popular destinations, they’re also using Airbnb to visit family and friends or discover new places.

“The UK continues to break records on Airbnb – as a world-leading destination and for the benefits hosting generates for families and their communities.”

Half of the guests staying with Airbnb in Scotland came from other countries and 14 per cent were families.

The site enables householders to rent out rooms or entire properties. Airbnb take a cut of the cash and allow users to rate their experience.

Host Gerrie, from Glasgow, said: “We’ve met people from all over the world, of all ages and cultures. Our lives have been enriched and we relish every moment with the people who come and stay with us.”

Since launching in the US 11 years ago, the firm have had huge growth.

Visitor numbers into the UK are up about 80 per cent over the last year.

More than three quarters of guests said they chose Airbnb because they wanted to “live like a local”.