One year ago Airbnb announced Trips, our vision of bringing together where you go, what you do, and who you meet into one people-powered platform and as part of that, we’ve expanded Experiences – local activities crafted and led by local people – to more than 40 cities across 26 countries, and to every continent except Antarctica.
Between January 2017 and today, total weekly Experience guests have increased 20x, and are continuing to grow steadily. October was our strongest month yet for Experiences bookings, and with many more destinations to come in 2018, this momentum is poised to grow even more.
We’re also learning more about not only where people love to go, but what they love to do most while they travel.
To date, there are 3100+ active Experiences on the platform across 40+ cities, 26 countries and six continents
Total weekly Experience guests have grown by 20x since January 2017, with guests paying an average of $55 per booking
Millennials and foodies are leading the charge, with 29% of Experience bookings in the food & drink category, and two-thirds of total guests age 35 or younger
Newer Experiences Cities are Gaining
Barcelona is still our most popular market for Experiences, followed by Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo and San Francisco. But newer Experiences markets like Lisbon, Seattle and Toronto are gaining quickly. New York City, having just launched in all five boroughs in September, is already the 6th most popular market overall. Newer and well-established markets alike are reflected in some of our most-booked Experiences in the last month, which include everything from a gastronomic tour of Lisbon to a graffiti art workshop in Harlem.
Our Fastest-Growing Experiences Cities
Based on bookings in the last 90 days, excluding cities that launched during that time
- New York City
- Sydney
- Mexico City
- Seattle
- Havana
- Bangkok
- Rio de Janeiro
- Amsterdam
- Shanghai
- Toronto
Millennials, Food Lovers Lead the Way
Research shows that younger people increasingly favor experiences over things – and that’s evident in the growth of social, people-driven travel. With two-thirds of Experiences guests aged 35 or younger, guests skew millennial and spend an average of $55 per Experience. Overall, guests are also overwhelmingly satisfied with their bookings: 90% of all Experiences earn a 5-star review.
What do guests love to do most? Eat, drink and be merry the locals’ way. We’ve discovered that the most popular Experiences category is food and drink by a strong margin, with more guests booking intimate homestyle dinners, specialty cooking lessons and guided food & drink tours than any other Experiences category.
Most Popular Experiences Categories
Based on bookings in the last 30 days
- Food and Drink, 29%
- Arts, 14%
- Sports, 10%
- Lifestyle, 9%
- Nature, 9%
- Music, 9%
- Entertainment, 7%
- History, 6%
- Fashion, 3%
- Wellness, 2%
- Nightlife, 2%
Solo Travelers Get Adventurous
While most Experiences bookings are made by groups, we’ve noticed that solo travelers don’t mind veering off the beaten path. Looking at bookings by solo travelers versus groups of two or more, we found that guests flying solo are more drawn to social, sporty activities like a pickup soccer game or a groovy yoga session, while groups of two or more prefer dining and cooking outings.
Experiences Aren’t Just for Vacationers
For travelers, Experiences are a way to get to better know a place through the eyes of locals. But they’re also a way for locals to see their own cities from a fresh perspective, whether it’s by learning a new skill or discovering an under-the-radar music spot. Additionally, through social impact Experiences, where 100% of what you pay goes directly to a local non-profit organization, locals and travelers alike can have fun while getting to know a community and making a meaningful impact.
