Two years ago, Airbnb, the home-sharing platform, did an initial study on how home sharing impacts neighborhoods in Boston that have traditionally been left out of tourism—Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan and Roxbury. A new report came out this month with new data that shows how much home sharing has progressed and found immense growth in the use of Airbnb in Dorchester, Roxbury, JP, and Mattapan.
Here are some of the findings from the study:
– Hosts earned nearly $11 million from opening up their homes, up 50%.
– Guests spent $35 million at local restaurants, shops, and small businesses, up 51%. This accounts for almost a quarter of total Airbnb guest spending across Boston.
– One fifth of all Boston guests stayed in these neighborhoods, where there are otherwise very few hospitality options, and we saw guest arrivals increase 61%.
– The number of hosts in these neighborhoods rose almost 30%.
– In these neighborhoods, there’s a greater percentage of senior hosts than in other Boston areas: 10% of the hosts in JP, Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan are seniors, compared to 7% across other Boston neighborhoods.
– These neighborhoods have a higher rate of women hosts: 54% of the local hosts in these communities are women, compared to 49% across other Boston neighborhoods.
You can read the complete report here!
Recently, Airbnb was in the news due to a battle with Boston City Councilors and their plan to regulate the short-term rentals of apartments and homes. In particular, they call out City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu and accuse her of being in cahoots with “big hotel” and “against the interest of Bostonians.” This new study looks like it’s part of a campaign to gain support from Boston residents to oppose these regulations.
What do you think?
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
