North American Bookings Surge Helped Airbnb in 2020 Revival, Overtaking Europe
Skift Take
Lax travel lockdowns and regulations means U.S. and North America overall was much better for Airbnb this year, but will this trend continue in years to come?
Prior to 2020, the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA) was the biggest revenue and bookings generator for Airbnb, according to its new IPO documents filed on Monday night. Of these, Europe had the biggest share, with cities such as Paris, London, and Barcelona being some of the top cities on Airbnb historically.
But, during the pandemic as Europe was more stringent on lockdowns and cautious on reopening in cities, North America — and we really mean U.S. here — overtook EMEA. Lax travel lockdowns and regulations on this continent meant U.S. and North America overall was much better for Airbnb this year. Europe is a city-heavy business for Airbnb, and with people wanting to escape out of cities, it will be interesting to see if this trend holds up for the company in
