how to become a host in rural areas?

[PingPong0]

Hi, I want to know how you can host someone living in rural areas. Meanwhile tourists prefer to live in cities.

[Lawrene0]

Rural is where it's at right now, @PingPong0 . Those of us with cabins in the woods, and treehouses, and farm stays -- anything remote it seems -- are popular right now. 

The key is to do all the usual things, that is, make it pleasant, make it clean, make it a bit fun if that's possible. Be responsive. Be accurate about how remote the location is, but sell it as a way to "get away from it all." If there is no wifi, or poor wifi, make sure guests know that. 

This isn't a good time to rent out a room in your house, no matter whether it is rural or urban, in most places in the world. But if you have some sort of stand-alone or private-entrance place, it could work very well. 

What are you thinking of renting? Is there any tourism at all in your area, or would you be the first? (I was the first in my area.)

[PingPong0]

No, there is no tourism at all, 

[Lawrene0]

There was no tourism at all in my area when I started in 2012, @PingPong0 . I am two to three hours from the nearest big cities, and nowhere near the provincial highway.

But Airbnb advertises everywhere. 

When you say "tourists prefer to live in cities," are you quoting something you read? 

Something your naysayer relatives (I have those, too) are telling you? 

Don't worry about them. If you have a fun, or quiet, place for people to stay, and you work hard at it, tourists might come to prefer your village. 

If that's what you are hoping, then I hope so too!

[Anonymous]

@PingPong0  I agree with all @Lawrene0  said, and I think if you gave us a bit more information about where in the world you're located and kind kind of property you have, you would get a lot more specialized advice.

At the moment - and I think this trend will extend well into this year - there's a big advantage to hosting in a rural area that's either within a couple hours' drive from a major city, or close to a popular attraction like a national park or a famous beach. Every search on Airbnb begins with Location, so it helps to be in a region that a lot of people are searching for. 

Some hosts are doing just fine in places that are nowhere near a big destination, especially ones with unique listings like an abandoned medieval church or a private island. But the downside with listing with Airbnb is that their search formula heavily favors urban listings, and they're still slow to develop a good format for searches that begin with criteria in mind but not a fixed destination (though they did roll out some improvements in the last year). 

If you're looking for info about business trends in your specific part of the world, try the site AirDNA , which scrubs data from STR platforms to estimate occupancy rates and revenue. And if your locality has a tourist information center, definitely strike up a relationship with them. They can give you a lot of data on current visitor trends and possibly even send you direct bookings.

[PingPong0]

It is located 25KM away from a city, near my village there is a river, and in the nearest city, there is a tourist point a Holy shrine. Moreover, summer is coming and this area is very hot in May, June, there is the scene for renting property. But, it is only my wish to host tourists. This means I like to be a host. 

[Helen3]

Speak to your local tourism office to get footfall figures for your area and understand what sort of tourist your area attracts. @PingPong0 

have you done a Google search to see what sort of tourist accommodation is available 

difficult to comment further as you don't bday where you live.

[PingPong0]

I would visit my tourism office. I have searched a long for it about my location and bla...

my location is in Punjab district Pakpattan a village near district Pakpattan.

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

@PingPong0  While there are probably more guests who want to book in an area where there is more to do in normal times, as the others here have said, many people, since the pandemic, are interested in just getting away from their own 4 walls for a break, especially if they live in a city, so perhaps your area would be appealing to domestic travelers.

Rather than having to mask up every time someone walks out the door of their city apartment, being able to sit outside in a rural area, take walks and engage in other outdoor activities, without being exposed to others and possible infection is a bonus now.

As far as your hot summer months, I have the same situation- it's extremely hot and humid from May to  Oct, and there are heavy daily rains July- Oct. 

So while tourists still come to my area, during thise months, not nearly as many, and if they do, they want a place with AC and a pool, neither of which have. I have only ever had one or 2 bookings during that season, in other words, my good booking season is only about 6 months a year, so you have to be realistic about year-round bookings.

As I don't rely on my rental for income, and have other work, I don't mind this. I use the down time to make improvements and repairs, have a break from hosting, and have a vacation myself.