Millennial travellers in search of an authentic experience rather than a luxury holiday have led to an increase in the number of visitors to Africa, from 572 000 in 2015/16 to 1.2 million between September 2016 and September 2017. This is all thanks to US-based short-term rental service Airbnb, which has enabled Africans to open their homes to visitors and earn US$139 million in the past year.
According to Reuters, nearly 60% of bookings were made by millennials, with 18% of guests travelling as part of a family. South Africa garnered the most guest arrivals, followed by Morocco. Meanwhile, a Quartz Africa report – which cites a study conducted by Airbnb – shows that since 2014, the company’s listings on the continent have grown to more than 100 000.
Globally, visitors from France account for the highest number of Airbnb users (13%) looking to explore Africa, while African travellers exploring the continent represent 29% – a quarter of which are South African.
