New Mexico Airbnb hosts earned $48.8 million in 2018 amid continued hotel growth

NEW MEXICO — Airbnb, the world’s leading community driven hospitality company, announced today that its New Mexico host community earned a combined $48.8 million in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 366,000 guest arrivals to the state in 2018.

This comes as New Mexico residents increasingly embrace the home sharing platform as an opportunity to earn meaningful extra income and make ends meet. There are now approximately 4,000 New Mexico hosts who share their homes via Airbnb – 35% of these hosts are 60 years or older, highlighting how many seniors are turning to home sharing to earn supplemental income to age in place.

Yet, statewide data indicates that Airbnb and its host community appear to be complementing — rather than competing with — the New Mexico hotel industry. The most recent New Mexico Tourism Department report shows an increase in state hotel occupancy and room rates, even as local hosts welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests. This suggests that Airbnb is opening up the state to a new slice of prospective tourists by catering to travelers less able to afford hotels, those who desire to stay in neighborhoods or cities that lack hotels, and families who prefer to be together under one roof.

Additionally, cities around the state are receiving new Lodgers’ Tax revenue through agreements that allow Airbnb to collect and remit the taxes on behalf of its hosts. Airbnb is currently collecting taxes in Taos County, Albuquerque, Ruidoso, Santa Fe, and Taos Ski Valley.

The home sharing community provides significant value by expanding lodging capacity for New Mexico communities when hotels sell out during big events and popular weekends. These include big events like the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and college commencement ceremonies, and holiday weekends and ski season.

What follows is an overview of 2018 guest arrivals and total host income, broken down by the top counties for guest arrivals, based on Airbnb booking data.