Airbnb has generated $13.5B in tourism taxes for communities around the world

Airbnb hosts play a vital role in local economies around the world, welcoming billions of guests, helping big cities and small communities benefit from big events, and dispersing travel outside of traditional tourism hubs. Critically, hosts and the guests they welcome support communities by generating an influx of tourism taxes for local governments at a time when jurisdictions are facing budget shortfalls. 

Since 2014, Airbnb has collected and remitted $13.5 billion USD in tourism taxes to governments around the world on behalf of our global host community. Cities often dedicate these tax dollars to fund critical services like police, infrastructure, and libraries—or use them to promote more tourism and tourism spending through destination marketing organizations. 

In 2024 alone, hosts in the US and Canada generated over $2.6 billion USD in these taxes—that includes approximately $2.4 billion in the US and $329 million¹ in Canada, respectively.

Below is a snapshot of the total tourism taxes collected and remitted on behalf of hosts in 2024:

Championing legislation to streamline tourism taxes

Since 2014, Airbnb has advocated for solutions that allow short-term rental platforms to collect and remit tourism taxes on behalf of hosts—initially through Voluntary Collection Agreements (VCAs) and more recently by working with lawmakers on centralized tax collection laws. In 2025, Airbnb has supported centralized tax collection laws in Texas (SB 1592 and HB 2433) and Maryland (SB 0979), which require short-term rental platforms to remit state and local tourism taxes that guests pay as part of their stay to the state government. The state government then distributes the revenue to local governments.

Not only do centralized tax collection laws ensure all short-term platforms collect and remit tourism taxes on behalf of hosts, they also simplify the collection process for cities, towns, and counties that charge local tourism taxes, such as hotel occupancy taxes or accommodation taxes. The Tax Foundation published a report on the benefits of centralized tourism tax administration for businesses, taxpayers, and governments.

Communities welcoming Airbnb guests—particularly those facing budget challenges—have an opportunity to bolster this economic activity with a streamlined tax collection system. Governments tend to see more revenue when they implement statewide rules that allow short-term rental platforms to collect and remit local taxes on behalf of hosts. For example, after Tennessee adopted a centralized collection system in 2021, the state has seen an increase of approximately 360 percent² in the amount of tourism taxes collected.

In challenging economic environments, the economic benefits of travel generated through Airbnb has proven significant and enduring. Today, Airbnb provides vital fiscal support for communities, worldwide. By remitting billions in tourism taxes and partnering with communities to streamline tax collection, Airbnb continues to work with public sector partners to maximize the full economic potential of hosting and travel in communities around the world.