Airbnb Welcomes More than 1.4m Guests in 2017

02 March 2018

Airbnb Welcomes More than 1.4m Guests in 2017

NEW ZEALAND – Airbnb, New Zealand’s leading community driven hospitality company, announced today that its New Zealand host community hosted more than 1.4 million guests in 2017, while the number of listings grew to more than 37,000.

New data released today by Airbnb shows the number of inbound guest arrivals to New Zealand rose 112 per cent year-on-year to 1.46 million - more than the population of Auckland. The number of Airbnb listings in New Zealand has grown 61 per cent year-on-year to 37,600 and the typical Airbnb host earns NZD$80 per week or NZD$4,200 a year in income.

“Airbnb is lifting living standards and easing the sky high cost-of-living without spending a single cent of taxpayer dollars. Being a host allows people to take what is typically their biggest asset - their own home - and turn it into an income engine,” Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy Australia and New Zealand Brent Thomas said.

“Home sharing is an invaluable economic shot in the arm for family budgets and communities right across the nation, particularly those places which have traditionally missed out, like the suburbs and regions. Local hosts in New Zealand on average earned $80 per week or $4,200 a year -- hardly a fortune or king’s ransom but enough to help pay the mortgage or bills.

“With more 1.4 million guest arrivals and counting in New Zealand last year, there has never been a better time to become an Airbnb host. These strong numbers reflect an increasing desire among travelers for a more local, authentic and sustainable kind of travel.

“Importantly, Airbnb wants to work collaboratively with the New Zealand Government and local councils to ensure our community grows sustainably, but also responsibly. We want to work together to grow the local tourism industry, particularly Maori and regional tourism, as well as to develop fair, progressive rules for home sharing. Rules that reflect how people travel and use their homes today, not how it used to be done last century.”

Last month, Airbnb released YouGov Research which showed 66 per cent of New Zealanders support home sharing, 78 per cent believe government should consider encouraging home sharing to help the tourism industry, 54 per cent are likely to use Airbnb in the future when they travel and 31 per cent are likely to use Airbnb to share their own home in the future.

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