Skift Travel News Blog

Short stories and posts about the daily news happenings around the travel industry.

Online Travel

Airbnb.org, Expedia Group Aid Hurricane Relief Efforts

2 years ago

Airbnb.org and Expedia Group are providing support to people displaced by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian.

Airbnb.org, a nonprofit that says it operates independently from Airbnb, announced that it has committed $5 million to provide free housing on a temporary basis to people displaced by Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean and Hurricane Ian on the U.S. mainland.

More than two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, parts of the island remained without electricity. Pictured is a Rincón, Puerto Rico street on October 2, 2022. Source: Dennis Schaal/Skift

“These stays will be funded by Airbnb and other donors to Airbnb.org,” the group said.

In the U.S. mainland, for example, Airbnb.org said it is collaborating with Global Empowerment Mission and local and state authorities to identify hurricane victims who need housing.

In Puerto Rico, Airbnb.org is working with local organizations that can utilize its grants to house first responders, the organization said.

Meanwhile, Expedia Group donated an unspecified amount of money to Volunteer Florida to help communities that were in Hurricane Ian’s path, an Expedia Group spokesperson said. Part of that effort includes Expedia’s working with Visit Florida to help people find housing.

As it has done in past disasters, Expedia launched an emergency accommodations portal to help people locate available hotels in Florida, for instance.

Tourism

Florida’s Tourism Recovery Continues Despite Headwinds

2 years ago

Tourism in Florida during the first half of this year surpassed the level during the comparable pre-pandemic period of 2019. Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency, published the numbers this week. It ballparked that the state drew 69 million visitors in the year through June 30.

Florida has done well at attracting international travelers, but it is still beneath 2019 levels. The state had 3.071 million overseas travelers, including a hefty number of Canadians, during the first half of 2022.

Last year approximately 45 percent of foreign travelers into the U.S. as a whole visited Florida. The next-highest attractor of foreign visitors was New York state, with 22 percent.