Airbnb’s newly released survey findings and analysis of internal data showed that it had an estimated $685 million (R9.733 billion) direct economic impact on South Africa in 2018.
Collectively, Airbnb’s host and guest community generated over $100 billion in estimated direct economic impact across 30 countries in 2018 alone
Unlike other business models that siphon the money they generate out of communities, Airbnb activity directly benefits the communities that hosts call home. Since Airbnb was founded, hosts have earned over $65 billion that many use to pay the bills and pursue their passions.
Small businesses, a number of which are located outside of the traditional tourist districts, also benefit from guests on Airbnb, many of whom spend the money they save on accommodations at local establishments.
“Travel on Airbnb is helping to spread tourism benefits to more families, communities and local businesses,” said Velma Corcoran, Airbnb Country Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Corcoran added, “It’s never been easier to travel to and stay in South Africa’s smaller towns. Visitors are discovering local hospitality and hidden gems that they might otherwise have missed, while supporting new economies and revenue streams that help make local communities stronger”,
Locally, there has been a significant increase in host earnings on Airbnb in smaller towns. Mossel Bay, saw a year-on-year increase of over 80 percent, while Saldanha Bay in the Cape saw an increase of almost 60 percent over the same period. Host earnings in Garden Route towns such as Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and George increased by 48 percent, 58 percent and 74 percent, respectively.
The 2018 estimated direct economic impact is based on estimated guest spending and the sum of homes host earnings. Host earnings is based on internal Airbnb data while estimated guest spending is based on over 10000 responses to a voluntary survey sent to a sample of guests on Airbnb accounts that had taken a trip to those countries in 2018
Below is a look at Airbnb’s Direct Economic Impact in 2018 for 30 countries:
Country Airbnb Direct Economic Impact in 2018
1. USA $33.8 billion
2. France $10.8 billion
3. Spain $6.9 billion
4. Italy $6.4 billion
5. United Kingdom $5.6 billion
6. Australia $4.4 billion
7. Canada $4.3 billion
8. Japan $3.5 billion
9. Mexico $2.7 billion
10. Portugal $2.3 billion
11. Germany $2.3 billion
12. China $2.3 billion
13. Brazil $2.1 billion
14. Greece $1.4 billion
15. Netherlands $1.3 billion
16. Korea $1.2 billion
17. Thailand $1.1 billion
18. New Zealand $912 million
19. Croatia $910 million
20. Ireland $832 million
21. Malaysia $734 million
22. South Africa $685 million
23. Argentina $664 million
24. Denmark $654 million
25. Switzerland $651 million
26. Austria $625 million
27. Indonesia $593 million
28. Philippines $586 million
29. Colombia $560 million
30. Czech Republic $555 million
BY DHIVANA RAJGOPAUL
Source: iol.co.za