REPORT | NOVEMBER, 2016

Airbnb and The
Rise of Millennial
TravelAirbnb and Millennial Travelers
Airbnb’s mission is to democratize travel by allowing anyone to belong anywhere. We make thishappen through our people-to-people platform – we are of the people, by the people, and for thepeople – that connects hosts and guests in 191 countries around the world.
Airbnb’s growth has been propelled by several factors, including popularity among millennial
travelers (millennials are defined as between 18 and 35 years of age). Millennials are the largest
generation in history, and by 2025, millennials and younger generations will account for 75% of
all consumers and travelers.
The following report outlines the findings of a study of millennials conducted in September andOctober 2016 by GfK, in conjunction with Airbnb. From September 27 to October 12, 2016, a
total of approximately 1,000 interviews each were conducted online among Millennials (ages18-35) in the US, the UK, and China.
Key findings of this report, compiled using data from the survey as well as Airbnb booking data:
1. Travel is deeply important to millennials, especially in China.​ Most millennials would
prioritize travel over buying a home or paying off debt.
2. Millennials say they’re looking for something new when they travel – moreadventurous, local and personal. O​ ver 80% of millennials seek unique travel
experiences and say that the best way to learn about a place is to live like the locals do.
3. Millennials are passionate users of Airbnb and a substantial, growing part ofAirbnb’s community. ​Roughly 60% of all guests who have ever booked on Airbnb aremillennials, and the number of millennials who have booked on Airbnb has grown morethan 120% in the past year.

21. Travel is deeply important to millennials, especially in
China.
Most millennials would prioritize travel over buying a home or paying off debt
The survey findings show that millennials care deeply about travel and consider it an importantpart of their lives. In fact, the survey showed millennials prioritize travel over buying a home orpaying off debt, and prioritize it as much or more than buying a car.
Millennials surveyed in the U.S., U.K., and China say that when they think about the next fiveyears, traveling is more important to them (or as important to them) than purchasing a home,paying off debt, or purchasing a car. More millennials also said they set aside money to fundtravel than paying off debt, purchasing a car, or purchasing a home.

3In addition to prioritizing travel, millennials feel that travel is core to their identity. Over 70% of
millennials surveyed in each country said “travel is an important part of who I am as a person,”and over 65% of millennials said that “regular travel is an important part of my life.”
This is all especially true among millennials in China. 93% of millennials surveyed in China said
that “travel is an important part of who I am as a person.” And in China, more millennials saythat if they received the equivalent of roughly $10,000 today they would put it towards travel
instead of purchasing a car, purchasing a home, saving, or paying off debt.
FIGURE 1. Imagine you received 100,000 RMB today. Which one of these would you most wantto put that money towards?

% of Chinese millennials surveyed
Traveling

44%

Purchasing a home

13%

Paying off debt

6%

Purchasing car

16%

Savings

20%

4More than half of millennials in the UK (55 percent) and US (56 percent) and 83 percent in
China say that they are spending more on travel than they did a year ago.
Across all countries, over 70% of millennials who do not currently feel that they have enoughtime to travel said that if they suddenly had more time to spend on themselves, they would
travel more. Figures are even higher when it comes to money; nearly 90% of those who do nothave enough money to travel as much as they’d like to say that if they suddenly had moremoney to spend, they would travel more.

52. Millennials are looking for something new when they
travel – more adventurous, local and personal, and lessscripted.
Over 80% of millennials say the best way to learn about a place is to live like the locals
doMillennials overwhelmingly say that they are seeking out new, adventurous, and local
experiences when they travel.
Over 80% of millennials surveyed in each country say they are always looking for a uniquetravel experience and adventure when they travel, and say that the best way to learn about aplace is to live like the locals do.

In fact, the survey data shows that across the US, UK and China, millennials are seeking out
new types of travel experiences, ones that are more local, active, and personal.

6

A majority of the millennials surveyed said:
They prefer to stay in accommodations that are in c
​ ool, local neighborhoods​,​ rather thanwanting to stay close to top tourist attractions. (US: 55%; UK: 53%; China: 56%)

They prefer an ​active​ vacation, full of exploration. (US: 51%; UK: 54%; China: 54%)
They overwhelmingly prefer to try food at ​local restaurants​ when they travel, rather than places
they are familiar with from home. (US: 75%; UK: 71%; China: 65%)
They don’t mind traveling by themselves, because it’s ​easier to meet locals​ that way. (US:58%; UK: 52%; China: 82%)
They say​ ​meeting lots of people​ when they travel is more important than bringing backsouvenirs. (US: 54%; UK: 61%; China: 67%)
Nearly 60% of millennials polled in the US and UK say they are looking more for an a
​ dventure
when they travel, as opposed to decompressing (US: 58%; UK: 59%)
A majority of millennials polled in the US and UK say that discovering h​ idden local places​ ismore important to them than visiting major tourist attractions. (US: 53%; UK: 57%)
A majority of millennials polled in China (54%) say that experiencing l​ ocal hot spots​ ​is more
important to them than learning about the history of their destinations.
75% or more of millennials surveyed in each country say they prefer to ​create their own
itinerary​, ​rather than leaving it up to a packaged tour.

73. Millennials are passionate users of Airbnb and asubstantial, growing part of Airbnb’s community.
Roughly 60% of all guests who have ever booked on Airbnb are millennials, and thenumber of millennials who have booked on Airbnb has grown more than 120% in the pastyear
Airbnb has long been popular among millennial travelers because it provides the unique, local
travel experiences that millennials crave. In fact, 60% of all guests who have ever booked on
Airbnb are millennials, with a YOY growth rate of 128%. Trips booked by millennials haveaccounted for over 77 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings all time, including over 44 million injust the past year.
Airbnb is particularly popular among millennial travelers in China, where 83% of all guests who
have ever booked on Airbnb are millennials – the highest percentage of any country globally.
The number of millennial Airbnb travelers in China has more than quadrupled YOY. Trips
booked by Chinese millennials have accounted for nearly 4 million guest arrivals at Airbnblistings, including nearly 3 million just in the past year.
Moreover, more than half of millennials polled in each country are familiar with the concept ofhome sharing, and even more (at least 60%) in each country say they are likely to consider
staying in a home (as opposed to a hostel or hotel) on future trips, or have already stayed inone.
FIGURE 2. How likely are you to consider staying in a home (as opposed to a hotel or hostel,etc.) on future trips?

USUK

China

Very or somewhat likely

67%

57%

76%

Not too likely or not at all likely

31%

40%

15%

I have already used one

2%

3%

9%

8

Why are millennials so positive about home sharing services like Airbnb? Because services like
Airbnb provide many of the travel experiences they seek.
The vast majority of millennials say that it is important their accommodations are available in avariety of locations and areas, and offer opportunities to experience the local culture. The vastmajority also say it’s important to them that their accommodations make them feel like a part ofthe local community, and offer opportunities to meet people from the area.
FIGURE 3. Percentage of millennials who say the following is an important driver in theirchoice of accommodation when they travel:

USUK

China

Good selection of locations / variety ofareas

90%

87%

94%

Offers opportunities to experience
local culture

85%

86%

92%

Provides opportunities to meet people
from the area

73%

71%

86%

Makes me feel part of the localcommunity

78%

69%

86%

9