Travel and tourism to Detroit is on the up, and one of the beneficiaries is Airbnb, which has seen a 100% growth rate in the last year and expects to double again next year.
Airbnb is a popular online marketplace that connects travelers to local hosts who want to rent rooms, apartments or houses.
According to Airbnb, they had a $10.5 million economic impact for Detroit in 2016, and are on track to double that to more than $20 million in 2017.
They say $3.1 million of that went directly into the pockets of Detroiters who host (or share) their homes on Airbnb. The additional $7.4 million was contributed to the local economy via spending by the 27,000 guests who visited Detroit at local restaurants, shops and other merchants.
Detroit Airbnb guests spend $100 a day on average, and 50% of Detroit hosts offer an unused bedroom in their home as opposed to whole apartments or houses.
Recently Airbnb launched their new “Airbnb Trips” product. In cities such as Paris, London, Tokyo and Detroit, for a price you’ll spend time with local experts in various fields to experience Detroit.
There are 22 experiences currently in various categories. The Social Impact Experiences, 100 percent of the proceeds goes to the organization. There are also Fashion, Entertainment, History, Food & Drink, Arts, Lifestyle and Wellness experiences.
A few examples include a boxing lesson with Downtown Boxing Gym founder Khali (who we profiled on our Daily Detroit Happy Hour podcast here), a sing along with a local musician, a soul food family dinner with the folks from Sweet Potato Sensations, a birthplace of Techno experience and much more.
A complete listing of experiences is on the Airbnb app or website. There are often short videos to show off the listings, and they range in price from about $30 to more than $250 depending on complexity and time spent, as some go over multiple days.
