Unlocking Airbnb’s Economic Contribution to Australian Tourism and Communities

Problem – Measuring the Real Economic Footprint of Alternative Accommodation Platforms

As non-traditional accommodation providers like Airbnb rose in popularity, stakeholders lacked robust, independent data to understand their full economic contribution to tourism, jobs, and community spending. Traditional tourism metrics weren’t capturing the reach and multiplier effects of platforms like Airbnb.

The Challenge: Quantifying Airbnb’s impact across regions, traveller types, and tourism sectors

The challenge lay in accurately capturing Airbnb’s diverse economic impact—across urban and regional areas, domestic vs international travellers, and downstream sectors like food, retail, and transport. A granular and methodologically sound approach was essential to generate meaningful insights.

Solution: Oxford Economics Australia delivered a comprehensive economic impact assessment for Airbnb

Through the independent report The Economic Impact of Airbnb in APAC, Oxford Economics Australia provided:

• A $13.6 billion GDP contribution estimate for Airbnb in 2022
• Employment impact data showing nearly 95,000 jobs supported
• A detailed breakdown of $12.3 billion in guest spending
• A comparison of domestic (79%) and international guest contributions

This enabled Airbnb to demonstrate its growing role in national tourism and local community support with credible, data-driven insights.