The desertion of international tourists did not discourage French Airbnb hosts. A study published on Friday, March 26, by the AirDNA site, which analyzes the tourist furnished rental market, shows an increase in supply despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among Airbnb’s main markets around the world, it is in France that the number of “active” ads – visible on Airbnb and which have already been booked at least once – has increased the most in a year. The increase in February is 9% compared to February 2020 – compared to around 1.5% in the United States, Italy or Spain. The number of announcements even decreased in Great Britain, Australia or Canada. France is thus consolidating its status as the second largest market in the world for Airbnb – its offer exceeds all hotel capacities there.
Globally, the number of active ads increased by 2.5% despite the pandemic. Europe is the continent that is doing the best. “I imagine Airbnb is very happy to have been able to maintain its ad offering for a year; given the situation, this is a good result for them ”, says Jamie Lane, research manager at AirDNA.
Airbnb has made recruiting new hosts its priority for 2021, with a global advertising campaign – titled “It’s possible, thanks to hosts” – and the simplification of posting ads.
Substantial increase in the Loire Valley
Despite moribund reservations since the second lockdown in France, the number of active ads is up in all regions except Ile-de-France – down 1.4%. The increase is strongest in the Loire Valley and on the Breton coast, rural areas where Airbnb’s offer has taken off in recent years. The figures underline the success of the strategy of the American firm in France, which has been striving since the pandemic to increase its presence outside the big cities, permanently affected by the fall in international tourism. There are now ads in more than 80% of municipalities in France, according to Airbnb.
“The fact that France was one of the best performing markets in Europe last summer gave guests confidence that once the pandemic is behind us, the short-term rental market will rebound quickly.”, Jamie Lane analysis.
Paris, the first city in the world in terms of ads, is also holding up better than other European tourism capitals. Among Airbnb’s top 25 markets, Paris ranks fourth in terms of changes in the number of active ads (- 3.1%). The drop is stronger in Lyon or Strasbourg, but also, much more significantly, in Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, London or New York.
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