Airbnb says travel industry is changing: Longer stays, family groups are new trends

Airbnb on Wednesday said new trends are changing the travel industry as longer stays, and family groups are now most popular choices.

On Wednesday, Airbnb released its Travel & Living Report said that remote working is providing consumers with more travel opportunities, and that is changing the way people choose to travel.

There is a definite trend towards longer stays of at least 28 nights. These have almost doubled from 14 per cent of nights booked in 2019 to 24 per cent of nights booked in the first quarter of 2021. In the UK, they amounted to 19 per cent, according to the report.

“Family travel on Airbnb for the summer is at an all-time high, with the majority of our summer bookings being at listings large enough for five or more guests. Families are leading the redistribution of travel from all the same places to everywhere by seeking out more out-of-the-way places,” the report said.

“About 95 per cent of travel on Airbnb for this summer is booked at entire homes, compared with about 80 per cent in summer 2019. The home, not the location, has become the destination,” the report noted.

“Companies and governments are experimenting with flexible hours and four-day work weeks as well as remote working. For those fortunate enough to be able to work remotely, working from anywhere has become a viable lifestyle,” the report contends.

Three-quarters of those surveyed in five countries, including the UK, said they were interested in living somewhere other than where their employer was based after the pandemic, the report said.

In the UK, 37 per cent of those surveyed said they saw travel more as a lifestyle where they spent increased time in different places throughout the year. However, 46 per cent said they still saw travelling as being about specific trips.

The survey also revealed an “overwhelming” desire for more flexibility in travel in terms of duration and location. Among Airbnb’s searches in April, 40 per cent were flexible in dates, location or both.