Key Takeaways
- New guide provides industry-first analysis of global remote work initiatives.
- Calls for low-cost and expeditious remote worker visa program.
- Proposes model tax and financial incentives for remote workers and employers.
- Recommends essential amenities like internet connectivity and community support for workers and their families.
Airbnb today published a guide for governments and destinations outlining recommendations for how communities can benefit economically from the rise in remote workers. Airbnb’s Guide to Live and Work Anywhere: How Communities Can Benefit from Remote Workers is based on Airbnb’s insights, data and experiences in partnering with 20 destinations that are embracing the potential of remote work, as well as a review of remote worker programs worldwide.
“Where policy-makers once had to fight to attract entire companies (or even industries), today governments and destination marketing organizations must consider how to recruit individuals and families who can work remotely and how to ensure that the benefits of remote work are felt by the wider community,” said Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Airbnb. “The best approach is one that not only attracts remote workers, but also integrates them into communities so that all residents can benefit from this rising trend.”
Since the start of the pandemic, remote work has surged around the world and the trend is also evident on Airbnb’s platform, with many guests choosing to live and work in a location for extended periods of time. Long-term stays (28 days+) continue to be Airbnb’s fastest-growing category by trip length, more than doubling from Q1 2019.1
Remote workers represent a huge socio-economic opportunity for destinations and host communities. For example, Tulsa’s remote worker incentive program generated nearly $20 million in additional local gross domestic product and approximately $1.6 million in induced state and local tax revenue in 2021 alone, with every dollar spent on the incentive program resulting in $2.38 in new induced labor income locally.
To reap the benefits of remote working, Airbnb’s Guide to Live and Work Anywhere provides recommendations for:
- Improving visa processes and streamlining tax compliance
- Encouraging remote workers to support local businesses
- Immersing remote workers and their families into host neighborhoods.
The remote work “revolution” has particular promise for smaller cities and rural communities, many of which have been hurt by macroeconomic trends in recent decades. Since the pandemic started in March 2020, globally, more than 8,100 cities and towns have received their first-ever Airbnb bookings – including over 1,300 in the US. In 2021, domestic nights booked by US guests on Airbnb for stays in rural areas grew 110 percent compared to 2019, while Airbnb Hosts in rural counties in the US earned over $3.5 billion over the year.
In partnerships with 20 global destinations, Airbnb continues to evolve the experience for remote workers for guests, Hosts and host communities alike. This month, dedicated remote work hubs for Tampa Bay and Tulsa were activated. Later this month, we’ll launch hubs for Salzkammergut (Austria), Thailand, Cape Town, and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy).
Click here to download the report.
1. In Q2 2022, long-term stays of 28 days or more remained our fastest-growing category by trip length compared to 2019. Long-term stays increased nearly 25% from a year ago and by almost 90% from Q2 2019.
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.
About Airbnb.org
Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.”s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org”s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.
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