Maine is without doubt one of the most sensible summer time trip locations on the planet, accommodation website Airbnb mentioned Wednesday.
Maine was once ranked 8th on a listing of the highest summer time locations international in keeping with searches from the primary quarter of 2022. The state was once the one American location at the listing, which additionally integrated Ibiza in Spain and a the city at the Italian island of Sardinia. Turkey’s port town of Bodrum was once No. 1.
Airbnb trip has been rising in Maine. Hosts in Maine earned over $180 million in Maine in 2021, $20 million of which got here from new hosts, an organization spokesperson mentioned. This is just about double the $91 million in source of revenue statewide hosts made in 2019, consistent with corporate knowledge.
The upsurge in reputation Maine has observed on Airbnb in recent times displays the spice up in pastime it noticed right through the COVID-19 pandemic in a state already referred to as a trip vacation spot, mentioned Tracy Michaud, a professor of tourism on the College of Southern Maine.
“Other folks have been in reality searching for nature, outside leisure alternatives, recent air, house,” Michaud mentioned. “Maine has at all times had a emblem of being original and moderately secure. It’s now not a marvel there’s been an uptick in Airbnbs.”
That spike might be of significant help to eating places, bars and retail outlets, amongst different companies around the state. It additionally has the possible to position additional drive on a housing marketplace the place momentary leases seem to be decreasing the provision of to be had properties.
Michaud mentioned there was once proof that had came about in Maine, particularly in city spaces that experience observed costs skyrocket. Alternatively, communities together with Portland and South Portland had installed a hit laws to assist offset damaging affects at the housing marketplace, she mentioned.
The state noticed a surge of tourism remaining summer time, with summer time 2022 anticipated to surpass the ones numbers. For lots of, Airbnbs have felt more secure right through the pandemic than sharing house with others in a lodge, Michaud mentioned. A number of places permit visitors to test in themselves, she famous.
That self-check in device has labored out neatly for visitors, mentioned Melissa Phipps, normal supervisor of the 19-room Open Fireside Inn in Trenton. Although visitors can e-book a place within the inn immediately and thru momentary apartment website VRBO, she estimated that 75 p.c of bookings got here thru Airbnb.
Maximum who come to the inn are searching for a spot to stick whilst they cross to within reach Acadia Nationwide Park. They’re virtually totally booked for the summer time with many being attracted via the decrease costs that include being situated simply off Mount Wasteland Island, Phipps mentioned.
“We’re now not at the island, so we don’t have island costs,” she mentioned. “Other folks like that they may be able to nonetheless have simple get admission to to it all.”
Guests have come from all over the place the rustic and the sector, together with France, she mentioned. Whilst Airbnb not releases regional knowledge, Hancock County noticed essentially the most guests in keeping with capita of any Maine county in 2019.
Whilst coastal spaces see a bulk of Airbnb vacationers in Maine, inland trip bookings grew over 40 p.c international within the first quarter of 2022 in comparison to that very same time in 2019. One of the most puts maximum helped via Airbnb remains are rural spaces that experience fewer accommodation choices than vacationer facilities like Mount Wasteland Island and Portland, Michaud mentioned.
Michaud famous that “Vacationland” depended on tourism, with round 1 in 5 Mainers hired within the trade. Although few are fanatics of higher visitors or a dwindling collection of spots in native eating places on weekends, it is helping put cash within the wallet of numerous Mainers.
“Guests that come are spending cash in our native companies,” Michaud mentioned. “All of us get pleasure from that.”
