Aberdeen is named among top 20 Airbnb destinations

● City is only one on list in UK ● Figures based on bookings for 2020

Airbnb has named Aberdeen as one of its top 20 trending global travel destinations for 2020.

The online accommodation marketplace compiled the list by identifying the places that had seen the biggest year-onyear growth in bookings for the year ahead.

Airbnb said: “Ranging from post-industrial culture hubs like Milwaukee and Guadalajara to emerging destinations that are benefiting from an increase in sustainable tourism, this year’s list is full of surprises and hidden gems.”

Aberdeen came in at number 13 on the list, with a 119 per cent annual increase in bookings.

Airbnb described the Aberdeen as a place with a “striking cityscape, fine dining and rugged coastal scenery”.

It said: “Aberdeen is known as the Granite City thanks to the gleaming white stone that much of the city has been built with.

“Scotland’s third largest city has much to offer besides a striking cityscape: from fine dining, galleries and museums in the city itself, to rugged coastal scenery and romantic ruins in the surrounding countryside.

“And like many other destinations on our list, Aberdeen has major sustainability plans in place with the aim of drastically reducing carbon emissions.”

Aberdeen was the only UK destination on the list.

Topping the list was the US city of Milwaukee in Wisconsin, which had a 729 per cent increase in bookings – largely due to the fact that it hosting the Democratic National Convention next year.

Second was Bilbao in Spain with 402 percent growth in bookings. Buriram in Thailand was third, with bookings up 383 per cent.

Airbnb said travellers were increasingly eco-conscious when choosing destinations.

It said: “Looking ahead to travel planning for next year, we’re forecasting growing interest in lesser known and eco-conscious cities and countries across the world based on Airbnb booking data.”

The most remote place on the list was the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, almost 2,000 miles east of Australia.

It came in at number 10 with 140 per cent growth in bookings. Airbnb described it as a place of “rugged islands, deserted beaches and stunning Pacific wildlife”.