Airbnb Reached Estimated Direct Economic Impact of €380 Million in Sweden

Travel on Airbnb had an estimated direct economic impact of more than $100 billion in its top 30 countries around the world in 2018, according to new data released today. In Sweden alone, travel on Airbnb generated an estimated direct economic impact of more than $380 million – or over $1 million per day – made up of $296 million of guest spending and $86 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 4 guest arrivals on Airbnb in Sweden are Swedish nationals travelling domestically, and that both domestic and international visitors report spending an average of $123 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 Sweden is over 3 days and guests who say Airbnb impacted the length of their stay on average added 3 days to their trip.
• The Swedish are increasingly using Airbnb to travel themselves; last year, an estimated 920,000 Swedish travelers used Airbnb to travel abroad or domestically.

Changing where people travel

• In Sweden, 8 in 10 guests said the location being more convenient than hotels mattered in their decision to use Airbnb.
• About 2 in 3 guests said wanting to explore a specific neighborhood mattered in their decision to use Airbnb.
• Stockholm only accounts for less than a third of all listings on Airbnb in Sweden

Changing who benefits from travel

• The typical listing on Airbnb in Sweden was shared for 27 nights per year. Hosts keep up to 97 percent of the posted price of their listing.
• About 3 in 4 hosts in Sweden 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.
• Over 9 in 10 of guests to Sweden indicated that saving money is one of the reasons why they choose Airbnb, and nearly half of them indicated that as a result they spent more money on food and shopping.

“Travel on Airbnb in Sweden boosted the economy with over $1 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 Sweden 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