Third of UK Hosts Use Airbnb Income To Afford Rising Living Costs
Key Takeaways
- More than a third of Hosts across the UK say they host to afford the rising cost of living.
- Nearly half of guests say booking on Airbnb helped save them money.
Key Takeaways
- More than a third of Hosts across the UK say they host to afford the rising cost of living.
- Nearly half of guests say booking on Airbnb helped save them money.
A major new survey of more than 10,000 UK Hosts and guests on Airbnb highlights – for the first time – how the cost of living crisis is driving people to become Hosts on Airbnb. More than a third of Hosts across the UK say they host to afford the rising cost of living, and nearly a third say the additional income helps them make ends meet.
The typical UK Host earns just over £6,000 – equivalent to two months additional pay for the median UK household – by renting their space on Airbnb. The vast majority of Hosts are regular people, and four in five UK Hosts share only one listing. One in five UK Hosts work in either education, healthcare or hospitality. Nearly two-thirds are women and one in five are over 60.
The survey shows that the rising cost of living is also pushing guests to seek more affordable family travel on Airbnb. Nearly half of guests say booking on Airbnb saved them money and a quarter said they specifically chose an Airbnb over other types of accommodation to save money.
As well as being affordable, one in five guests said that Airbnb offered a more local travel experience. Over a third said their Airbnb listing enabled them to experience an area they probably wouldn’t have visited and over half say they took up their Host’s recommendation of a local business or place to visit. This helps disperse guests and benefits beyond hotel districts to local families and their communities. A 2020 study by Oxford Economics on the impact of travel on Airbnb in communities found that for every 1,000 Airbnb guests who visited, five local jobs were supported on average.
Amanda Cupples, General Manager for the UK and Northern Europe, Airbnb, said, “As the cost of living crisis bites, people are looking for new ways to boost their income. Airbnb was born during an economic crisis to help people afford their homes and 15 years later, more families across the UK are doing the same.”
The new survey data comes just a week after Airbnb launched its biggest upgrade in a decade, including a new way to search that will help guests discover millions of homes and destinations they never knew existed, all while making travel less concentrated and spreading guests and benefits to more families and communities across the globe. Airbnb also recently unveiled its Healthy Tourism Commitment to support the sustainable recovery of tourism in the UK, including commitments to help more everyday families benefit from home sharing and support regulations and plans for a UK host register.
Based on a survey of 5,194 Hosts and 6,863 Airbnb guests booked between June 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2021 and surveyed between February. 17, 2022 and March 31, 2022. Margin of error under 2%.