Travel insights from UK Host Tour event

[Liv]

Hi everyone, 

Did you see the announcement on the 100+ upgrades across Airbnb in May?

On Tuesday Airbnb leaders and Host Community Leaders held an event for local UK Host Clubs to discuss what these changes mean for Hosts. I also attended alongside @Stephanie, and it was great to see @Mary996, @Helen3 and @Gordon0. 

Travel Trends

This is based on analysing booking data and surveying 10,000 consumers across 5 countries - including 2,000 people in the UK. Here’s what we learnt about the UK:

Brits still love to travel

• Travel is the no 1 out-of-home activity we miss most
• 66% of Brits say travel is a priority once they feel safe
• The top priority for British guests who travel is reconnecting with friends and loved ones

Guests are looking to travel in a flexible way

• People are waiting longer to book - 50% are still planning or thinking about their first trip this year
• Guests are more flexible on when and where they travel - 62% are interested in travelling during off-peak times of the week or year and 27% of searches in April were flexible on location 

Where are we going

• Domestic travel is up - 82% of 2021 nights booked in the UK on Airbnb are for nearby domestic travel
• Guests are discovering the outdoors - 60% increase in guests choosing to stay within 30 miles of national parks in summer 2021 versus summer 2019
• People linger in cities -  long-term stays are growing with top UK destinations being London, Manchester and Edinburgh

Other Highlights

• Local Policy Updates

• Scotland Regulations:  With a new Scottish Parliament, we expect legislation for regulation of Short-Term Lets will be back in Parliament as early as June. We are working with the tourism industry in Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that your views are represented - advocating for a simpler, more straightforward registration system. You’ll hear more from us in the coming weeks and months about what this means for you, and how you can get involved. Thanks to all Hosts in Scotland for your continued efforts in contacting your local representatives so far.  
• UK Registration Whitepaper: In June, we will launch the UK Registration Whitepaper, the outcome of a roadshow during 2020 to consult local authorities, stakeholders and Hosts across the UK on proposals for a national registration system. If you want to get involved, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll have someone on our team reach out to you.
  
  

• Local Clubs Events: a few of the UK Community Leaders shared the great work done by UK Hosts such as online meetups to tackle questions like what are the best security devices, market tips, navigating Covid rules, and a variety of other Airbnb related topics. Hosts also joined a call with UK safety and crime experts on how to spot suspicious activity and help keep our community safe.
  
  
• Host Demos: the UK Country Manager did a deeper dive into 3 new features: Inbox, Arrival Guides, and the Today Tab. Many Hosts were excited to see the improvements to Inbox, such as scheduled messages. For more information on the announcements made by CEO, Brian Chesky on May 24th, check out this article. 
  
  

And a fun fact -  the most frequently cited word in the surveys was HOPEFUL, which I think we can all relate to. I’m looking forward to travelling again, and to hearing your stories as the travel rebound continues. And if you would like to connect with your local Host Club, find your Club here. 

What are you feeling hopeful about?

Thanks, 

Liv

[Mary996]

Thanks for this piece @Liv. How uplifting to hear that HOPEFUL was a key word arising from the survey undertaken of consumers. 

In reply to your question I'm hopeful about World Peace. Genuinely I believe it will happen and furthermore the philosophy of Airbnb supports this event. We are entangled in a web of positivity that encourages people to respect one another. I'm proud to be a Host and a part of all of this.

xxxxxxx

[Liv]

That's a beautiful sentiment, @Mary996 ! Thanks for sharing 😊 

Glad to hear you're feeling positive about the future.

[Mary996]

Very much so and I really appreciate the contribution of you and your colleagues in this space in the way that you help to lift us all up.

I do believe the world is changing rapidly just look at the positivity between Jo Biden and President Putin. There is a thirst for mutual empathy and its a great starting point! The green aganda is fast advancing too.

I am a bit indisposed at the moment but would very much like to return to the discussion about how we can bring in new members to the CC and to collaborate with mentoring and encouraging others to take their turns here (as a duty actually) and for this to become a cultural expectation of other Hosts so that we offer a broad spectrum of contributions as well as the wisdom of learned experience which I very much appreciated when I first particpated here. I cannot now remember who helped me but I was very grateful. It has got a little 'tougher' since but I am thinking that there are some very conscientious participants here who put in a lot of effort and furnish people with answers . Primarily that is what is wanted maybe with a range of perspectives as often there is not one single 'right' answer.

Anyway more in due course!!