Online hospitality service Airbnb says this past winter holiday season in South Africa saw nearly 70 000 guests stay in its community-provided accommodation across the country.
This represents an increase of 250% compared to the year before. The company says this is the first time such high growth has been recorded during the winter in SA.
The guests were split almost equally between international and domestic travellers (47%). This means South Africans view the service as a viable way to travel around their own country for work or leisure.
They are also using the service when travelling overseas. More than 32 000 South Africans used Airbnb when they travelled abroad this past season; more than double the amount last year.
The majority of domestic guests visit Cape Town - followed by Johannesburg, then Durban, Knysna and Port Elizabeth. The Western Cape now has 12 000 Airbnb listings in the mother city and surrounding areas. It is also the most popular choice for international guests.
Last year, it was reported uptake of the service in SA increased by over 100% in less than a year.
The disruptive technology company, founded in San Francisco in 2008, is a community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodation around the world using the Web or a mobile phone. The accommodation ranges from a shared arrangement, to a room within a house (while hosts are present), to renting of a whole house (with no hosts present).
The service is a way for people who have spare bedrooms in their homes, or are away often, to make money from unused space. The company makes money by taking 13% of all payments; however, hosts come up with their own price - based on what they feel is appropriate.
There are now millions of listings in over 35 000 cities in nearly 200 countries.
In June, a report issued by the company showed South African hosts who occasionally share space in their home boost their yearly income by more than R28 000.
The company recently made a play for business travel by integrating its service with business travel agents.
The new initiative, Airbnb for Business, aims to provide travelling business people with a 'home away from home'. All the Airbnb business listings available have upgraded their services and amenities to accommodate corporate travel.
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