What: Airbnb’s perspectives on the US market for 2021

Why it is important: no more intercontinental tourism, but regional tourism will surge.

Airbnb carried a study on US travellers’ intentions for 2021. The result: regional tourism will increase, all the more that customers are eager to be allowed to travel again: only 21% of American tourists plan to travel overseas, the rest look at domestic or local destinations. 55% report to be interested in taking a trip within driving distance. In parallel, potential tourists for 2021 are younger (55% are under 50 years old) and wealthier (3/4 of customers earning more than USD 100,000 plan to travel).

The consequences:

• Mass seasonal tourism is going to be less important than what it used to be, and the variety of “popular” destination will be wider: more hits, less blockbusters,
• The travellers’ flow will be spread more evenly during the year, as local or domestic trips imply a greater flexibility (all the more in the work from home context).

This, in addition to the fact that business travel is unlikely to return to its pre-pandemic levels, leads Airbnb into focusing on regional holidays and experiences.

Airbnb Sees Regional Travel Boom in 2021, Less ‘Mass Travel’