Airbnb holiday bookings soar as Covid restrictions ease

Airbnb has reported a surge in bookings as coronavirus restrictions are eased in some countries.

The value of bookings made by holidaymakers shot up 52% year on year to $10.3bn (£7.3bn) in the first quarter, with locations outside city centres and rural areas proving particularly popular.

The San Francisco-based company said the recovery in bookings is being led by families and small groups, as opposed to solo travellers, while there has also been a jump in bookings for longer-term stays.

Almost a quarter of nights booked in the first three months of the year were for stays of 28 days or longer, up from 14% in pre-pandemic 2019.

“Increasing numbers of guests are discovering that they do not need to be tethered to one location to live and work,” Airbnb said.

In the US, searches for summer travel by those aged 60 and over, the first groups to be vaccinated, soared more than 60% in February and March.

Airbnb experienced “steady improvement” in Europe, led by the UK and France, where some travel restrictions have been lifted, with “strong” domestic travel bookings.

Read more via The Guardian