AIRBNB has generated a massive £68 million for the Northern Ireland economy over the past year, according to new figures.
A report from the private home rental service shows that the north has become one of its fastest growing tourism destinations in the UK, with 230,000 guests using the service in the 12 months to June.
That represents a 70 per cent increase on the 132,000 recorded in the previous year. In the same period spending from guests totalled £55m , representing a further boost for the local economy.
An average host in Northern Ireland can earn £3,200 per year by hosting visitors just three nights a month, with people in the north among the highest earners on Airbnb compared to other parts of the UK, according to the report.
Airbnb general manager for northern Europe, Hadi Moussa said Northern Ireland is a growing market for the company.
“In the past year, British travellers have loved turning to their own backyard to take a break, seeking out holiday destinations where they can uncover hidden gems and enjoy truly unique experiences. With more people using Airbnb to explore Northern Ireland, we’ve helped visitors gain new experiences all over the country, spreading the benefits of tourism away from city centres to local communities and businesses," he said.
Meanwhile, new official figures show that the number of people employed in tourism in the north now totals 65,000, with 3,500 new jobs created in 2016 and 2017.
Jobs in the tourism industry now represent one in every 11 jobs in the north, with all eleven council areas reporting growth in the sector.
Tourism NI chief executive, John McGrillen said:
“We have achieved a great deal in the last decade, and jobs in tourism have risen to 65,000 at the end of 2017 which equates to five new jobs being created every day by our tourism industry. The most recent statistics do not take into account the jobs created with the recent hotel boom in Belfast so we expect that this number has already increased over the last nine months."
.
Tourism NI welcomes 6% increase in tourism jobs
Tourism NI is backing today’s efforts to secure support in Westminster for the Belfast Region City Deal as new official statistics[1] show that the number of people employed in tourism now totals 65,000, with 3,500 new jobs being created over 2016 and 2017.
This news comes as the 6 Councils in the Belfast City Region are in Westminster lobbying for a City Deal which includes plans for major investment in new visitor attractions across the region.
Jobs in the tourism industry now represent 8.7% or 1 in every 11 jobs here and tourism’s increasing contribution to employment is apparent right across Northern Ireland with all eleven Council areas recording growth in tourism jobs.
Commenting on the increase in tourism jobs and the City Deal, Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen said;
“We have achieved a great deal in the last decade, and jobs in tourism have risen to 65,000 at the end of 2017 which equates to five new jobs being created every day by our tourism industry. The most recent statistics do not take into account the jobs created with the recent hotel boom in Belfast so we expect that this number has already increased over the last nine months”.
“With some of our major visitor attractions operating close to capacity, investment in the development of new internationally compelling visitor attractions will be important to keep job numbers growing, and the Belfast City Deal offers the potential to invest in new products and increase our share of visitors to the island of Ireland”.
