Airbnb Reached Estimated Direct Economic Impact of €1.1B in the Netherlands

Travel on Airbnb had an estimated direct economic impact of more than €86 billion in its top 30 countries around the world in 2018, according to new data released today. In the Netherlands alone, travel on Airbnb generated an estimated direct economic impact of more than €1.1 billion – or €3 million per day – made up of €869 million of guest spending and €250 million of host earnings. 

The new data is based on a survey responses from 237,000 hosts and guests, as well as data from Airbnb’s internal systems. It shows that more than 1 in 5 guest arrivals on Airbnb in the Netherlands are Dutch nationals travelling domestically, and that both domestic and international visitors report spending an average of €145 per day in local communities. 

The data also shows how Airbnb is changing how people travel, where people travel to, and who benefits from travel in the Netherlands:

Changing how people travel

• 8 in 10 guests stated that the desire to ‘live like a local’ was important in their choice to book through Airbnb and nearly half of the guests indicated the ‘desire to meet new people’.
• The average trip length on Airbnb in the Netherlands is over 3 days and 1 in 5 guests stayed for over a week. 
• The Dutch are increasingly using Airbnb to travel themselves; last year, an estimated 2.7 million Dutch travelers used Airbnb to travel abroad or domestically. 

Changing where people travel

• In the Netherlands, 84 percent of guests said the location being more convenient than hotels mattered in their decision to use Airbnb.
• About 3 in 4 guests said wanting to explore a specific neighborhood mattered in their decision to use Airbnb. 
• In Amsterdam, 4 in 5 listings on Airbnb were located outside the city centre and over 70% of all guests stayed outside the city centre. This in stark comparison with hotels, of which more than half are in the city centre. 

Changing who benefits from travel

• The typical listing on Airbnb in the Netherlands was shared for 33 nights in 2018 Hosts keep up to 97 percent of the posted price of their listing. 
• 8 in 10 hosts in the Netherlands say they recommend specific cafes, restaurants and cultural activities to their guests, suggesting that spending takes place in the areas where locals go, beyond tourist hotspots. 
• 96% of guests to the Netherlands indicated that saving money is one of the reasons why they choose Airbnb, and half of them indicated that as a result they spent more money on food and shopping. 

“Travel on Airbnb in the Netherlands boosted the economy with over €3 million per day in 2018. And unlike any other form of traveling, Airbnb ensures local residents and their communities can benefit from that economic boost, while providing more sustainable and authentic solutions to guests. We want to continue working together with all stakeholders across the Netherlands to help hosts share their homes responsibly and promote tourism that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.” 

Hadi Moussa, Country Manager Northern Europe at Airbnb