We’re over a month into the new year, and I believe we could all use a productivity boost! We thought you’d enjoy a series of custom produced Airbnb projections now that we have access to all of this short-term rental data. In this piece, we will discuss the four major travel trends that are expected to dominate the market in 2022.
Looking back is an important part of creating Airbnb estimates. As strange as it may sound, understanding how the industry has changed will help you comprehend where it will go in the future. Travel habits, for example, have shifted dramatically since the pandemic began. To bypass COVID limits, people book with less notice and stay for longer periods of time. According to Airbnb, long-term stays of more than 28 days currently account for roughly 20% of its business.
Airbnb launched the ‘I’m flexible’ function to capitalize on the increased flexibility in the short-term rental business. Guests can use this option to look for available rentals without providing dates or a location. Instead, the Airbnb website or app uses your location to suggest listings that you might be interested in. The listing that is closest to you will be placed at the top of the list. If you choose, you can also specify dates to help limit down your search results.
Airbnb Forecasts: 2022 Trends
We wanted to look at more than just our own data to identify trends in Airbnb travel in 2022. Instead, we had to investigate data from a variety of other stakeholders in the short-term rental market. Everything from flight data and currency exchange rates to unemployment statistics and government laws had to be taken into account.
The first trend is digital nomads
As far as Airbnb estimates go, this isn’t something new, as we’ve been witnessing digital nomads since the pandemic began in 2020. What has changed is the number of people who can be categorized as ‘digital nomads.’ Companies began giving return to work orders for the great majority of their employees towards the middle of last year. The industry as a whole held their breath, waiting for the impact to hit, but the announcement of the Omicron variation broke soon after the news of this return. As a result of the increased risk, countries began to tighten their borders once more, and employees returned home. This brings us to our second tendency…
Trend 2: International Travel is Making a Comeback!
With the relaxation of worldwide constraints, many travelers chose to embark on the process of planning an international vacation. People were keen to resume their globe-trotting ways after missing out on two years of international vacation. “People are eager to travel, but they’re looking to go in more fascinating European destinations, not necessarily the large cities that they visited to before,” Catherine Powell told Marie Clarie magazine. The top ten cities in the world used to account for 11% of our revenue; now, they account for 6%. We will continue to see more flexibility, longer stays, and remote working.”
3rd Trend: Guests Expecting Flexibility
Guests are seeking greater flexibility than in the years preceding the pandemic, as requirements and constraints change with little notice. Hosts and hospitality providers must understand that guests are hesitant to risk their money if they cannot adjust their plans if anything unexpected occurs. Airbnb offers a variety of cancellation options, and we encourage hosts to carefully consider their options.
Of course, there are two sides to every coin, and a cancellation policy must suit both the host and their intended visitors. Offering discounts is a wonderful approach to avoid this problem, but keep in mind that even if your policy is rigorous and clearly stated, you may still receive cancellation requests.
4th Trend: Family Travel
Most Airbnb predictions for this year and last year agreed that family travel accounted for a sizable portion of the travel industry. Traveling with family began as a terrific way to bring everyone together while still complying to current government constraints. Individual travel was still popular, but bookings on Airbnb for four or more people grew dramatically in the second quarter of 2021 and haven’t slowed since.
