Brooklyn Boro

New data: more than 565,000 tourists visited Brooklyn on Airbnb in 2016

Brooklyn Hosts Earned $146 Million in One Year — 27 Percent More than 2015

March 1, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
This photo provided by Airbnb shows a still image from the company's Super Bowl 51 spot. Airbnb via AP
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On Wednesday, Airbnb announced that in 2016, 15,000 Brooklyn hosts earned a combined $146 million in supplemental income by welcoming more than 565,000 visitors to the borough. This represents 43 percent year-over-year growth in guest arrivals and 27 percent year-over-year growth in host earnings.

The typical Brooklyn listing earns $4,400 per year by sharing their home for an average of fewer than three nights a month. These middle-class New Yorkers use money generated through home sharing to save for retirement, repay student loans, pay their mortgage or rent or start a small business, according to Airbnb.

“We are proud to see that more and more Brooklyn residents are discovering home sharing as an opportunity to share their community with visitors from around the world, and earn a little bit of extra money along the way,” said Josh Meltzer, head of New York Public Policy, Airbnb. “From Greenpoint to the Brighton Beach, Airbnb hosts are ambassadors to the borough and we are grateful they have embraced home sharing as a way to welcome thousands of visitors”

In October, Airbnb released Sharing for a Stronger New York, a series of policy recommendations which protect New Yorkers’ right to share their home while preventing illegal hotel operators from listing multiple units and removing permanent housing from the market. In support of this goal, Airbnb has proactively removed more than 4,000 listings in New York City since November 2015 as part of its One Host, One Home policy, which prevents users from listing more than one entire home in NYC on the platform. 

Despite the growing economic benefits of home sharing for New York’s families and businesses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law last fall placing fines on certain New Yorkers for advertising their home for short-term rental. Airbnb stated that by failing to distinguish between responsible New Yorkers who share their home occasionally from bad actors who remove permanent housing from the market, the law unfairly targets middle class New Yorkers and makes enforcement harder for regulators. 

After the new law was signed in October, Airbnb filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, which is responsible for enforcement. On Dec. 2, 2016, the city and Airbnb reached a settlement by which the two parties agreed to “work cooperatively on ways to address New York City’s permanent housing shortage, including through host compliance with Airbnb’s One Host, One Home policy.” 

One powerful organizing tool that will be lobbying for passage of Sharing for a Stronger New York is the Airbnb Host Club, according to Airbnb. Last year, Airbnb launched 15 host clubs across the state, including four clubs in Brooklyn. The clubs are led by active hosts who bring our community together to share best practices, educate local officials on the positive impact of responsible home sharing and participate in community service activities that benefit their neighborhoods.

 

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