South Africans are opting for more affordable travel amid the cost of living crisis.
According to Airbnb, it saw a 45 percent growth in the number of nights stayed in private rooms year on year.
“Private rooms remain one of Airbnb’s most popular types of stay for guests as the third most booked category, with the average cost being just R675 per night. Last year, private room hosts on Airbnb in South Africa earned a total of almost R 159M while the typical SA private room Host earned almost R7000,” said Airbnb.
It’s not just South Africans who seek to cut costs when travelling and exploring destinations.
“Last year, nights stayed in a private room listing grew by 40 percent compared to the year prior, pointing to travellers seeking out more affordable travel amid rising cost of living. In fact, more than 47,000 cities had at least one private bedroom listing with an average price of under $50 last year,” said Airbnb.
The e-hosting platform also revealed that private bedroom listings are one of its most popular types of stay for guests, with the Private Room Category (now “Rooms”) the third-most booked category since it launched Airbnb Categories last May.
“With private bedroom stays in more than 60,000 cities and towns around the world, and paired with today’s updates, Airbnb Rooms are a unique way to see a city by staying with a local. In Q1 2023, four out of five reviewed stays in a private room received our highest five-star rating,” said Airbnb.
As a result, Airbnb announced that it had gone back to its roots with a new business focus on ‘private room’ listings and launched Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb, offering more affordable ways for guests to experience a destination by staying with a local.
“Airbnb Rooms feature an all-new way to search for private room stays with a dedicated Rooms Category, learn more about a Host via their Host passport, as well as ways to narrow one’s search using additional filters and expanded privacy features,” said Airbnb.
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