Helping Travel Grow Greener

While the traditional tourism industry adopts greener practices, Airbnb’s growth actually has been driven, in part, by interest in home sharing as a sustainable option for travel: 72 percent of Airbnb guests say the environmental benefits of home sharing were of at least some importance in their choice of Airbnb. This statistic is even more potent given our network effect. Airbnb’s guest arrivals have doubled year over year since 2014, from nearly 17 million in 2014 to 40 million in 2015 to 80 million in 2016, and will continue to grow in 2017.

Today, we’re releasing a report on the positive environmental impacts of home sharing in North America and Europe. Significantly less energy and water is used, and fewer greenhouse gases are emitted, when guests use Airbnb listings rather than traditional hotel accommodations. For example, guests staying in Airbnb listings instead of traditional accommodations in Europe during the calendar year 2016:

  • achieved energy savings equal to 566,000 homes
  • reduced water usage equal to 9,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools
  • reduced greenhouse gas emissions equal to 1.6 million cars

By staying in Airbnb listings instead of hotels in North America during the same time period, Airbnb guest stays resulted in:

  • energy savings equal to 309,000 homes
  • reduced water usage equal to 1,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools
  • reduced greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of 614,000 cars

In addition to these savings and reductions, the Airbnb community is taking proactive steps to:

  • make listings greener by embracing environmentally conscious products and services
  • partner with policymakers and NGOs to promote sustainable travel
  • create new offerings—including an expanding range of eco-themed travel Experiences—that introduce sustainability not only into where you stay, but what you do.

Read the report for more details, findings and the methodology.