Airbnb.com announced today that its West Virginia host community earned a combined $10 million in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 90,000 guests in 2018.
"This comes as West Virginians increasingly embrace the home-sharing platform as an opportunity to earn supplemental income and make ends meet," according to Ben Breit, a spokesman for Airbnb Midwest Affairs.
"There are now over 900 West Virginia hosts who share their homes via Airbnb, typically earning about $7,300 annually in supplemental income," Briet said.
"Yet, statewide data indicates that Airbnb and its host communities appear to be complementing—rather than competing with—the West Virginia hotel industry."
Briet said the most recent report from the West Virginia Tourism Office indicates that state hotels experienced dynamic growth in occupancy, nights sold, and overall revenue, even as local hosts welcomed tens of thousands of guests.
This suggests, he says, that Airbnb is opening up the state to a new slice of prospective tourists by catering to travelers less able to afford hotels, those who desire to stay in neighborhoods or cities that lack hotels, and families who prefer to be together under one roof.
The home-sharing community provides significant value through expanded lodging capacity for West Virginia communities when hotels sell out during big events, he said, including those in Morgantown during college football weekends, the Snowshoe region during ski season, and Charleston during the legislative session.
Airbnb also introduced Experiences to West Virginia in 2018, offering handcrafted activities led by local experts in cities like Berkeley Springs and Green Spring. Airbnb Experiences is creating new economic opportunities for West Virginia residents by allowing them to unlock their talents and interests and make money from them, catering to the hundreds of millions of people that use Airbnb’s platform to discover unique and authentic travel experiences. =
Airbnb recently announced the No. 1 most wish-listed Airbnb homes in the top 20 home sharing cities in West Virginia.
W.Va. County: Total Host Income: Total Guest Arrivals
- Pocahontas — $1.7 million — 11,000
- Jefferson — $1.4 million — 13,000
- Tucker — $1.1 million — 10,000
- Morgan — $1 million — 9,000
- Fayette — $725,000 — 6,300
- Monongalia — $479,000 — 4,800
- Kanawha — $457,000 — 4,900
- Greenbrier — $448,000 — 4,000
- Berkeley — $339,000 — 3,300
- Randolph — $274,000 — 2,700
- Preston — $239,000 — 2,300
- Hardy — $223,000 — 1,700
- Cabell — $206,000 — 2,000
- Raleigh — $194,000 — 2,400
- Mercer — $119,000 — 1,300
See Also
- Cabins in West Virginia
- Hotels in West Virginia
- B&Bs in West Virginia
- Campgrounds in West Virginia
- Specialty Lodging in West Virginia
