Airbnb has released a report which reveals some interesting facts about family travel globally and in South Africa.
According to the service that lets property owners rent out their spaces to travellers looking for a place to stay, families get more value for space and money when using the platform.
It said that family travel on the platform was up over 60 percent, almost 30 percent in South Africa, in 2022 compared to before the pandemic in 2019, with over 15 million check-ins in nearly 90,000 destinations.
“Many of those families likely booked Airbnb listings because of the value and space they received compared to many hotel rooms,” said Airbnb.
The platform revealed that in 2022, the top-booked categories for family travel last in South Africa include, pool, near a beach, iconic city, surf spot and beachfront.
It also said that the top 10 municipalities for family travel in South Africa were the City of Cape Town, eThekwini, City of Johannesburg, KwaDukuza, Overstrand, Bitou, Knysna, Ray Nkonyeni, Stellenbosch and Nelson Mandela Bay.
It said that some popular destinations for families where Airbnb listings averaged less than R1,000 per night per person in 2022 in South Africa and abroad included Swartland in the Western Cape, San Vicente de la Barquera - Cantabria in Spain, Lagoa- Azores in Portugal, Shibuya -Tokyo in Japan and Devonport -Tasmania in Australia.
The data from the platform also revealed that globally, autumn and winter were the most affordable times for families to book an Airbnb listing last year, with October, November and December all averaging less than R1,000 per person per night globally.
“As the cost of living continues to rise, the popularity of family travel creates meaningful earning opportunities for those considering hosting on Airbnb. In fact, in South Africa, Airbnb Hosts collectively made over R1 billion from bookings with families last year,” said the report.
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