Bahamas a trending Airbnb destination for summer travel

The Bahamas is trending on Airbnb in 2024 for those planning summer travel, the company said in statement released yesterday.

“This summer, families are looking to Airbnb to hike, swim and soak up incredible views,” the statement said.

“Some of the top categories booked for families this summer have a waterfront theme, including beach, amazing pools, and lake categories.”

According to the statement, The Bahamas is in lockstep with destinations like Çeşme, Turkey; Krk, Croatia; Jeju, South Korea; Cebu City, Philippines; Melbourne, Australia; Puerto Escondido, Mexico; Durrës, Albania; Miramar Beach, Florida; and Marquette, MI, United States, in terms of popularity.

Notwithstanding Airbnbs in cities in France that are preparing for the Summer Olympics, the company said families are in search of spaces for barbecues and beach getaways.

“Having more space to be outside is a priority for families this summer, with searches for outdoor amenities like pools and BBQs increasing by 30 percent for family travel,” the statement said.

“With amenities like chef’s kitchens and private outdoor areas, Airbnb is the preferred choice of many families.

“Almost three in five guests say being able to fit all their family in one place is a major deciding factor when booking, according to a recent survey. And 71 percent say that amenities such as kitchens, workspaces, and backyards are important when booking.”

It adds: “Host cities like Paris, Lille, and Munich are trending as excitement builds ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, and the European Football Championships.”

This summer, Airbnb also introduced its new Icons category, “a new category of incredible experiences offered by big names in music, film, television, art, sports and more”, as well as new features for group travel.

“During its summer announcement, the platform indicated that more than 80 percent of Airbnb bookings are group trips,” said Airbnb.

The Central Bank of The Bahamas’ (CBOB) most recent Monthly Economic and Financial Developments (MEFD) report revealed that the short-term vacation rental market had a strong start in 2024, with March showing total room nights sold increased by 16.7 percent, compared to the same period last year.

It added that occupancy rates for both entire place and hotel comparable listings were up 63.8 percent and 40.9 percent, respectively, from 63.1 percent and 39 percent in the same period the prior year.

“For the first quarter, total room nights sold grew by 13.8 percent to 177,538, vis-à-vis the same period in 2023,” the report said.

“Price indicators showed that year-over-year, the average daily room rate (ADR) for entire place listings, and the ADR for hotel comparable listings rose by 2.9 percent to $562.00 and by 9.5 percent to $164.00, respectively.”

Some short-term vacation rental owners were shaken by the US State Department’s travel warning issued for The Bahamas in January. Some owners said they saw a decline in bookings in that month.

CBOB data shows that bookings for the sector strengthened in March, after the CBOB logged a year-on-year comparison that showed booking reductions for February.