With cultural tourism accounting for 40 per cent of all tourism worldwide, today, Airbnb shares data that reveals a growing demand for heritage-related travel. In the UK, figures from Airbnb indicate that bookings for Historical Homes increased by over 80 per cent in 2021 compared to 2019 with over 90 per cent of bookings from local UK residents seeking homes in more remote rural locations.
To accommodate this growing demand, Airbnb has launched a new Historical Homes Category, making it easier for guests to discover almost 4,000 heritage homes in the UK - from a converted chapel in County Durham to a 12th-century castle in Fife. To date, the Historical Homes Category is available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with more countries available soon, bringing the current total number of Historical Homes on Airbnb to just under 20,000. Historical Homes Hosts on Airbnb offer unique listings of historical significance dating from the 19th-century or earlier.
According to Airbnb data, typical Host earnings for Hosts listing Historical Homes in the UK was almost £10,000 in 2021 compared to just over £6,000 for regular Hosts. This is equivalent to over three months’ additional pay for the median UK household, just by renting an Historic Home on Airbnb.
