Airbnb recently announced that the total solar eclipse and move-in weekend at UNC Asheville are expected to bring nearly 4,000 guest arrivals to the region – a 45% increase from the weekend prior.
This is the largest number of Airbnb guests traveling to Asheville since Airbnb’s founding in 2008.
During this record weekend, hosts in Asheville will collectively earn close to $600,000. These Airbnb hosts provide an affordable way for visitors to stay in Asheville, with the typical nightly price of a booked listing running $105 a night.
This supplemental income is an economic lifeline for many hosts in Asheville. Importantly, hosts keep 97 percent of their listing price, keeping dollars local, while big corporate hotels’ profits are sent out of the local community.
“Airbnb is democratizing capitalism by making it possible for Asheville residents to use their home–typically their greatest expense–to generate supplemental income. Both the solar eclipse and college move-in weekend are exciting times for travelers and families, and Airbnb is thrilled to offer unique and affordable accommodations for those traveling to Asheville this weekend,” explained Will Burns, Airbnb’s Public Policy Manager for the East Coast.
Airbnb has a long history of helping cities accommodate guests for big events like the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and The Super Bowl in Houston, to music festivals and graduations. By bringing visitors to neighborhoods that have not traditionally benefitted from the city’s tourism industry, Airbnb brings new customers to small businesses across Asheville. Airbnb visitors tend to stay longer and spend more money in the neighborhoods where they stay compared to visitors who stay in hotels, so this revenue can be very significant for the local Asheville community.
Guests from all over the United States are traveling to Asheville, and the chart below shows the top guest origin cities for the upcoming weekend:
