PROVIDENCE – Airbnb Inc.’s Travel Report has ranked Rhode Island as a top trending destination in the U.S. for travelers seeking lodging accommodations through the online short-term rental platform this summer season.
Airbnb compiled its trending information from February to March, noting that Rhode Island ranked seventh in destinations among states with the least number of hotel rooms. Alaska stands atop its list, and it ranks 47th in the least number of hotel rooms. The Ocean State ranks 50th in the number of hotel rooms.
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Liz DeBold Fusco, a spokesperson for Airbnb, said that indicates that people are increasingly traveling to destinations where there are fewer hotel rooms.
South County area of Rhode Island was also popular on Airbnb among destinations in the country with access points to natural features, ranking 11th, behind Park County in Montana. Acadia National Park, in Maine, topped the list.
The report notes that 95% of travel on Airbnb for the 2021 summer is booked as homestays, compared to 80% in 2019: and family travel increased from 27% of nights booked in the summer of 2019 to 33% in 2021.
Fusco said information contained in its report was compiled from an analysis of Airbnb booking and search data, and a survey of consumers. It is the first time in the company’s 13-year history that it has compiled such a report.
Fusco said the reason for Rhode Island’s popularity from its searches is that travelers are seeking destinations with access points to natural features this summer. In this case, beaches.
“It makes sense that South County is trending as a top destination,” she said. “The prevailing interest among consumers is getting out this summer – looking for a breath of fresh air. The most common type of summer travel for 2021 on Airbnb has been a family leaving a city to visit a smaller destination, like South County, Rhode Island.”
Fusco said the report indicates that new flexibility in travel has been introduced, in part due to remote work, allowing people to work while taking trips. That, she said, has led people to expand their travel plans for the summer.
“We are on the cusp of a once-in-a-century travel rebound,” said Fusco. “More importantly – we are seeing one of the most fundamental shifts in consumer travel behavior since World War II. The pandemic is a total reset in a lot of ways, one of which is travel.”
San Francisco-based Airbnb is an online marketplace for lodging accommodations, primarily homestays for vacation rentals, and tourism activities.
The release of the Airbnb report coincides with the announcement of wide-ranging upgrades on the online platform, including new search features, a new process to becoming a host and improved customer support for hosts and guests, the company said.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Shuman@PBN.com.
