Airbnb Sees Bookings and Revenues Surge from World Cup Boost

Airbnb has posted one of its strongest financial reporting periods in its history, with this summer’s FIFA World Cup driving one of its busiest years.

The global house sharing accommodation specialist grew revenue by 17% in the second quarter of the year to $3.6bn. Gross Book Value for the period grew 16% to $27.2bn and the company’s average daily booking rate surged 10% year-on-year.

Airbnb noted a surge in booking trends in both its expansion markets and core markets of the US, France, UK and Australia.

The figures also showed that this year’s FIFA World Cup generated more earnings for the company than any other global entertainment event. Millions of guests from 196 nations checked in to Airbnbs during the FIFA World Cup across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the US.

In all, Airbnb measured 150,000 new homes on its accommodation base during the first half of this year.