Airbnb's Growth Seems Much More Insane When You See It On a Chart
Airbnb has grown dramatically over the last few years, but a recent Airbnb report shows just how crazy the takeover has been. Since 2007, Airbnb has spread to 191 countries and 34,000 cities across the globe, serving 50 million total guests with 30 million in the last year alone. And just this summer, more than 17 million guests chose Airbnb over hotels, 353 times more than the 47,000 lodgers in 2010. And don't even get us started on percentages...(Dadaviz’s León Markovitz visualized what that change looks like, shown above.) The report also bragged about the exotic locales offered to Airbnb guests, including 10,000 Airbnb treehouses, 12,000 yurts and 13,000 castles. With these numbers, you can probably understand why the hotel industry is shaken to its core and willing to engage in regulatory fights across the globe. While Airbnb’s report says the site’s popularity is due to middle class families trying sharing space in order to make ends meet (the average host makes approximately $7,350), it’s cleaning up a hefty profit while hotels are struggling to keep up. [BI]
