Airbnb bookings in regional Australia surpass cities
Airbnb is not just a city phenomenon, with a recent survey released by the peer-to-peer accommodation platform showing that more than half of its bookings in Australia are now for stays in country towns or coastal resorts.
Australia is the only major country in the world where regional Airbnb stays surpassed city bookings last year, according to a report in The Australian.
Regional stays comprised 56 per cent, or 1.7 million guest arrivals, last year, the survey said.
Popular regional destinations included Cairns, Noosa and the Gold Coast in Queensland, Byron Bay in NSW, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Margaret River in Western Australia, and Robe, Victor Harbor and Kangaroo Island in South Australia, according to The Australian.
Regional Australian getaways are more popular with locals, who take mini-breaks during long weekends to head out to the country and book a stay through Airbnb, unlike the trend in cities where it’s mostly foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, Airbnb continues its march in Sydney, with entire home listings expected to grow to 44,000 following an announcement by the NSW government that it supports short-term letting in state, short-term rental management service MadeComfy said recently.
As an illustration of the popularity of the platform in regional Australia, an entire cabin 'The Dolls House' in the township of Kingscote in Kangaroo Island is available for $85 a night. The cabin has all amenities like kitchen, shower and toilet etc.
The ad has 85 reviews.
Property Observer also found a bungalow in Byron Bay in NSW that is close to the beaches. The entire home can be rented out for $115 per night.
According to host Lainie, the bush setting is only a few minutes drive from the beaches.
