Travel on Airbnb was worth €29 million to the Donegal economy in 2022, the online booking portal has claimed.
It is referring to figures from a new independent report from Oxford Economics, commissioned by Airbnb.
It comes three weeks after an Irish Examiner investigation revealed there were just 31 properties available to rent long-term on Daft.ie across Donegal, compared to 1,796 Airbnbs
The latest Oxford Economics report highlights how home sharing continues to create ‘significant economic benefits’ for families and communities in the county, as well as the wider tourism economy, particularly in distributing tourism to rural and lesser-visited parts.
In Donegal alone, the total number of guest nights booked on Airbnb in 2022 was 379,000.
Airbnb-linked spending, it claims, represented 10.5% of all international tourism-related spending across Ireland, and the report values Airbnb’s total contribution to Ireland’s GDP at over €500 million in 2022.
“Guest spending in Donegal for 2022 was valued at €38 million, distributing the economic benefits of tourism beyond just local Hosts, to local businesses, shops and restaurants,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Airbnb says it always encourages guests to visit lesser-travelled destinations, and the report highlights how it is dispersing economic benefits to rural parts of the country.
In 2022, the spending footprint attributable to Airbnb guests in the border region was worth €45 million to Ireland’s GDP.
Last year, as many nights were stayed in the South-West of the country as in Dublin, and the West region is similarly not far behind the capital.
The report also found that employment linked to Airbnb activity accounted for around 5% of total tourism employment in 2022. In total, it says, almost 5,000 jobs were supported by activity on Airbnb across Ireland last year, with the hospitality and tourism, food and beverage services, arts and entertainment, and transport sectors all benefiting from activity on the platform. In Donegal, 550 jobs were linked to Airbnb in 2022.
The West of Ireland saw the largest proportion of Airbnb-linked employment last year, with more than 1,200 jobs supported by activity on the platform. This is followed by the South-West with over 870 and the Border Region at 860. In Dublin, more than 860 jobs were supported by Airbnb in 2022.
Private rooms on Airbnb offer guests ‘authentic travel experiences’ and ‘unique opportunities to interact with locals’, but they also help generate positive economic impact for Irish communities.
Derek Nolan, Head of Public Policy at Airbnb Ireland said,
“Airbnb provides authentic and affordable stays for guests in Ireland and drives economic benefits for local Irish families and their communities by generating employment and dispersing tourism across the country. We want to play our part as a key pillar of the Irish tourism economy, and support the introduction of a Host register to protect Ireland’s tourism, unlock the benefits of hosting for Irish families, and help local authorities to clamp down on property speculators.”
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