Local cycling event in Wollongong perfect opportunity to become Airbnb Host

With the upcoming world cycling championships in Wollongong just over a month away, Airbnb is encouraging residents to share their home to help their city handle the increased demand for accommodation, as competitors, organisers, media and spectators descend on the region for one of the biggest weeks on the Australian sporting calendar. 

With event organisers and city representatives already predicting a shortage of accomodation for the week-long festival of cycling, many may be forced to seek accommodation over an hour away in Sydney. 

Demand for stays during the event on Airbnb in Wollongong is booming, with an overwhelming increase in searches compared to the same time in 2019.

New and existing Airbnb hosts will provide a vital lifeline to event organisers though, by providing greater accommodation capacity, whilst helping with their own rising living costs.

The average nightly cost of an entire home on Airbnb during the event is currently $255, with guests booking on average for around 4 nights, meaning locals could pocket almost $920 by hosting during the games – equivalent to nearly a week of extra pay for the median Australian household.

“Hosting on Airbnb is a great way to help showcase Wollongong’s beautiful natural surrounds and highlight the region to help make this important local event a success, while also creating an opportunity to earn extra income to combat the rising cost of living,” said Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand. 

“Airbnb offers a unique opportunity for communities in and around Wollongong to be a part of history during the first cycling World Championships held in Australia in over a decade. Home sharing helps cities use existing space to scale up their capacity and welcome major events like this. It also empowers locals to provide sustainable and affordable accommodation across the city, benefitting the local economy.

“Hosts on Airbnb play a valuable role in making guests feel extremely welcome and our Wollongong Hosts are no exception as they help to point guests in the direction of the best hidden gems and local businesses to support.”

Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand

From the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Townsville hosting its first ever interstate footy fixture, or this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Airbnb has a long history of helping cities accommodate big events, while generating benefits for local families and communities. Home sharing allows 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.

In a recent 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 which can be done in 10 easy steps. Hosts are in full control of their availability, prices, house rules, and how they interact with guests and each and every reservation is covered for free by AirCover – our top-to-bottom protection for every Airbnb Host, with USD $1 million in damage protection and USD $1 million in liability coverage.”

More than 1,000 of the top international cyclists from over 70 nations will compete in what is considered one of the top 5 sporting events in the world and is watched by more than 300 million viewers globally.