Airbnb has made a bold claim: its hosts and guests have been responsible for generating $100 billion in direct economic impact in 2018.
It estimated the figure based on data across 30 countries last year.
The US was the top earner with a $33.8 billion impact followed by France, Spain, Italy and the UK.
The estimate was based on the total of hosts’ earnings and estimated guest spending, which stays local, ‘unlike other business models that siphon the money they generate out of communities,’ it said.
An Airbnb survey of more than 228,000 responses found more than half of Airbnb hosts said hosting helped them afford their homes.
It found an average of 42% of guest spending stayed in the local neighborhood where they stayed.
"This growth has come as Airbnb helps spread the benefits of tourism to some of the least visited destinations in the world," it said, citing triple-digit growth in countries like Moldova, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
