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Airbnb booms in Switzerland with almost 1 million yearly guests

In the last year, nearly 900,000 people have rented accommodation in Switzerland through Airbnb.

Airbnb booms in Switzerland with almost 1 million yearly guests
TPOphoto / depositphotos

This represents an increase of 300% over the last three years. 

According to figures published in Airbnb’s Travel Report Switzerland 2018, guests prefer staying away from the hustle and bustle of Switzerland’s biggest cities Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and Lausanne – with 69% of guests staying in smaller or rural areas.

Additionally, the demand for bookings in popular mountain destinations was 50% higher than that in cities.

The most welcoming Swiss destinations were Spiez, Grindelwald and Ringgenberg.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of Airbnb guests come from within Switzerland itself – with Swiss citizens accounting for 22% of all stays.

The USA had the second highest number of guests, with France, Germany and Great Britain coming in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Visitors in Numbers

Swiss – 197,100

American – 135,700

French – 81,100

German – 77,900

British – 60,900

Swiss Airbnb venues welcomed guests from 80 different countries in the last year.

Curiously, some 43% of guests booked stays outside the main tourist seasons.

The average age of guests was 38 years. 52% of guests were male and 48% were female. The average duration of stay was 3.4 nights.

The average age of hosts in Switzerland is 44, with 55% of all hosts being female. There is approximately 35,800 Airbnb venues in Switzerland.

In the last year, 1.6 million Swiss users have booked stays on Airbnb outside of Switzerland.

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is the world’s biggest ‘accommodation-sharing’ site. The online platform allows people to rent out properties or spare rooms to guests.

Anybody looking for a place to stay can create a profile and search for accommodation or experiences in their chosen destination.

People who want to host also create profiles, featuring photographs of their venue and calendars of availability.

Proponents argue that it provides a cost-effective accommodation solution; often giving guests access to great locations that would be more expensive in a hotel.