As US borders reopen, international travelers head stateside again

As travel gradually rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most widely anticipated milestones of the recovery is the November 8 reopening of US borders to fully vaccinated foreign travelers. The US is historically the largest inbound travel market in the world, and the largest country to reopen to foreign travelers arriving by commercial flights (with India expected to follow suit in mid-November)*.

Airbnb operates in more than 220 countries and regions around the world, and the reopening of a single border for inbound travel, even the US border, will not have a material impact by itself on our overall business. However, because our purpose is to connect our guests to people and places, the reopening of the US border is an important moment and a real sign of progress toward the return of global cross-border travel. 

During the week following the September 20 announcement that US travel restrictions would be lifted in November, searches for US trips by prospective foreign guests on Airbnb increased by 50 percent. 

During the week following the October 15 announcement of the specific November 8 reopening date, nights booked by foreign guests for stays starting November 8 increased by 44 percent**.

The US is also reopening right as we’re seeing a revolution that is changing how we live and work. The newfound flexibility that people have is bringing about a revolution in how we travel, too. The pandemic has suddenly untethered tens of millions of people from the need to work in specific places at specific times. They can now work from anywhere, travel any time, and stay for longer. While technologies like Zoom make it possible to work from home, Airbnb is making it possible to work from any home—and ultimately, to live anywhere. 

For all these reasons, we’re excited that as of today, starting on November 8, Hosts in more than 4,000 different destinations across the US will welcome inbound foreign guests on Airbnb. Some of these guests will be living on Airbnb for a full year.

Among all the places these guests are traveling from, the most guests are coming from these five cities:

• London
• Paris
• Santiago
• Toronto
• Vancouver

Among the more than 4,000 different destinations they are traveling to, the five most popular destinations are:

• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York
• Orlando
• South Florida Atlantic Coast

These five destinations are also the most popular for long-term stays of 28 days or more.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “appears,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “outlook,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including but not limited to statements regarding the expected border re-openings to travelers, the impact of border re-openings for travel on our overall business and our Hosts, the travel behavior of Hosts and guests, the potential opportunities for nights booked based on changes in travel restrictions, and the origin and destinations of inbound travelers to the United States, are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot provide any assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct.

The following factors are among those that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements:

• The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, the travel industry and travel trends;
• Changes in policies and regulations regarding inbound travel across countries; and
• Future changes or disruptions in the travel and hospitality industries or economic downturns and the other factors discussed under “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 26, 2021 and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC.

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and reflect our beliefs and opinions as of the date of this press release.  We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this press release, except as required by law.