The online and international accommodation platform Airbnb is enjoying a surge in demand that has seen the company post record results in the first quarter of 2022. The San Francisco group expects the good times to keep rolling with demand staying high throughout the year.
In the first three months of the year, 102 million nights and activities ("experiences" on their site) were reserved on the platform – more than at any point even before the pandemic, Belga News Agency reports. Indeed, the rise in popularity is plain to see with this year's figures representing a 34% improvement on the same period in 2019.
This performance represents a 36% rise on the same period in 2019 and 70% higher than the first quarter of 2021. The platform is still struggling to make up for the losses incurred during the pandemic but is doing better than analysts had predicted and is currently just $19 million in the red.
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Investors welcomed the news, with Airbnb's stocks rising 5% on the Wall Street at the start of the week. The company notes a continued and strong demand in regions around the world and are hopeful that this will bring positive returns in the coming months. This could even bring record reservations come summer.
Aside from holiday tourism, more and more users are turning to Airbnb as a source of accommodation for work-related travel. CEO Brian Chesky expects that this will continue to rise as Covid-related restrictions are lifted and business travel resumes.
