Aussies and Kiwis prepare to host football fans from across the world

The countdown is on as Australia and New Zealand prepare to host the biggest global event in women’s sport. 

Over a million tickets have been sold to the event to-date¹, making it the largest sporting occasion in Australia since the Sydney Olympics in 2000² and the largest women’s football event ever³. The tournament, which kicks off on 20 July, across the nine Australian and New Zealand host cities provides new and existing Airbnb Hosts an unmissable opportunity to roll out their welcome mats with a surge in searches for stays during the event. 

Exclusive Airbnb search data reveals which nation’s fans are flocking to the tournament in full force, and which team could have the edge in their quest to become world champions.

Top 10 country origins where international guests searches are from during the tournament period⁴:

1. United Kingdom
2. USA
3. New Zealand 
4. Korea
5. Germany
6. France 
7. Japan
8. Canada
9. The Netherlands 
10. Ireland

Top 10 city origins where international guests searches are from during the tournament period⁵:

1. Seoul, Korea
2. London, England
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Tokyo, Japan
5. Christchurch, New Zealand
6. Wellington, New Zealand
7. Paris, France
8. Dublin, Ireland
9. Portland, USA
10. Seattle, USA

While fans from the competing countries are heading to Australia to cheer on their teams, Airbnb data also reveals that the appeal of the tournament extends beyond the countries competing, with travellers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand in the top 10 countries globally searching for trips to Australia⁶ during the event.

We are thrilled our Hosts will be a part of welcoming football fans from around the world to Australia for what will be a historic moment in women’s sport.

Hosts on Airbnb play a valuable role in making guests feel extremely welcome, and our Aussie Hosts are no exception, helping guests have a memorable experience at the stadium and beyond. Our hosts are known to point visitors in the direction of the best hidden gems and local businesses to support.

Airbnb offers a unique opportunity for new and existing local Hosts to be a part of this incredible month of sport in Australia. If you have a spare room that you could list or you want to offset your own travel plans during the event, there is a great opportunity to earn extra income to combat the rising cost of living.

Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb Country Manager Australia and New Zealand

Hosting serves as an economic lifeline for many. By listing a spare bedroom for example, the typical median earnings for private room Hosts on Airbnb in Australia was over $11,000 in 2022⁷, equivalent to more than eight weeks’ pay for the average Australian household⁸.

In a survey*, more than a third of Australian Hosts said one of the reasons they host is to earn money to help cover the rising cost of living, while almost four in 10 said that hosting income has helped them stay in their home. Many Hosts also do not use their property for short-stay accommodation all-year round – with many doing so on an ad-hoc basis to help meet their mortgage repayments, pay bills or save for their retirement.

With the event fast approaching, we encourage those who are thinking about Hosting to start getting their property and listing ready. Last year, Airbnb made it even easier to list your home through Airbnb Setup, featuring one-to-one guidance from a Superhost, the opportunity to host an experienced traveller as your first guest, as well as one-tap access to specially-trained community support agents. Together with even more AirCover for Hosts, which tripled damage protection to US$3 million and expanded guest identity verification, among other top protections, it’s a great time to become a Host and start earning.

From the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Townsville hosting its first ever interstate footy fixture, the world cycling championships in Wollongong or last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Airbnb Hosts have a long history of helping cities accommodate big events, while generating benefits for local families and communities. Since March 2020, more than 13,000 cities globally received their first booking on Airbnb⁹ with home sharing allowing cities to flexibly increase the number of guests they can accommodate without expensive building and infrastructure projects, providing a more sustainable way of accommodating a surge in visitors.

NEW ZEALAND

Top 10 country origins where international guest searches are from during the tournament period¹⁰:

1. Australia
2. USA
3. United Kingdom
4. Korea
5. Japan 
6. Canada
7. Germany
8. France 
9. China
10. The Netherlands

Top 10 city origins where international guests searches are from during the tournament period¹¹:

1. Brisbane, Australia
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Melbourne, Australia 
4. Perth, Australia
5. Adelaide, Australia
6. Gold Coast, Australia 
7. Seoul, Korea
8. Seattle, USA
9. London, England
10. Denver, USA

While fans from the competing countries are heading to New Zealand to cheer on their teams, Airbnb data also reveals that the appeal of the tournament extends beyond the countries competing, with travellers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, French Polynesia and New Caledonia in the top 10 countries globally searching for trips to New Zealand¹² during the time of the event.