AIRBNB generated £75.5 million for the Northern Ireland economy in 2018, according to new figures.
The private home rental operator has grown revenue in the north by 11 per cent in the past year, welcoming almost 300,000 visitors.
Guests who used the service spent an average of £85 per day, making up almost three quarters (£59m) of the total income, while hosts from across the north collectively pocketed £16.4m.
Of those who used the service in Northern Ireland almost half (44 per cent) were from Britain, with the USA, the Republic, France and Canada the next most popular markets.
Belfast was the destination of choice for the majority of Airbnb guests, followed by Derry and Coleraine. Ballycastle and Portrush rounded off the top five destinations.
Of those guests who used Airbnb in the north last year, three quarters (77 per cent) said they used the platform to live like a local and that on average it added a further 4.3 days to their trip.
Hadi Moussa, Airbnb, country manager for the UK and northern Europe, said Airbnb now is now a key driver for the Northern Ireland economy.
“Airbnb has transformed the way people travel, helping visitors to explore beyond the traditional destinations and hotspots," he said.
"Tourism plays an important role in the Northern Irish economy, and the Airbnb community of hosts and guests are helping to spread the benefits of this tourism, enabling travellers to live like locals and putting money in the pockets of local families, businesses and communities.”
The announcement of the Northern Ireland figures comes as Airbnb has revealed host income and guest spending led to over £4.2bn in estimated direct economic impact for the UK, and exceeded $100bn (£79bn) globally in the last year.
