REPORT | SEPTEMBER 2017

From Buffalo to
Brooklyn and Beyond:
How New Yorkers are
Using Airbnb to Travel
Executive Summary / 2
How New Yorkers Travel on Airbnb / 3
Conclusion / 7
Appendix/ 8
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Nine years ago this summer, Airbnb launched in a cramped San Francisco apartment. The
platforms founders, including Niskayunas own Brian Chesky, believed that Airbnb could
enhance travel and cultural connection for people from all over the world.

In ensuing years, New Yorkers were early adopters of Airbnb, with many opening their own
doors to welcome travelers to the Big Apple. Today, there are over 53,000 hosts in New York
State who hosted 2.3 million guest arrivals during the past year.

While hosts and inbound guests are a major part of the Airbnb story in New York, this report
focuses on an underreported, but even larger segment of the Airbnb community in the Empire
State: New Yorkers who use Airbnb to travel at home and abroad.

There were 2.85 million outbound guests on reservations booked by New York State
residents between August 1, 2016 and August 1, 2017, the second most of any state in
the U.S. (Calif., 6.99 million).1 These New Yorkers travelled to their favorite local spots
in the Empire State, as well as cities and towns across the country & around the world.2

Other key findings include:

Just over 2 million outbound guests came from New York City, with the remaining
800,000 coming from other cities, towns, and villages in New York.
Outside NYC, the New York city with the highest number of outbound guests was
Rochester, with 56,000 and Buffalo with 55,000. These were followed by Ithaca
(34,000), Syracuse (27,000), Albany (24,000), Schenectady (14,000), and Yonkers
(10,000).
The most popular destination for New Yorkers using Airbnb was New York City
itself, with over 190,000 outbound guests travelling within the five boroughs.
Other popular destinations include: L.A, Paris, Montreal, Havana, and London.
Miami Beach (winter) and Portland, Ore. (summer) were top seasonal destinations.
90 percent of trips by New Yorkers were by groups of 4 or fewer people.

In the pages that follow, we examine how New Yorkers are using Airbnb to travel throughout the
Empire State and around the world, enriching their lives and expanding cultural exchange that
has long been a staple of the New York experience.

1
According to the Census Bureau, approximately 19,750,000 people resided in New York State as of July 1, 2016.
2
There were 600,000 unique bookers from New York State during this time period. Bookers report the number of
guests in their party, which provides the outbound guest figure that is the focus of this report.

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HOW NEW YORKERS TRAVEL ON AIRBNB

In the year ending August 1, 2017, there were 2.85 million outbound guests from New York who
used Airbnb to travel. Some of them enjoyed staycations in the Big Apple, while others explored
cities and towns across the country and around the world. Below, we dive deeper into this data
to highlight some of the unique findings about who/where/and with whom New Yorkers travel.

A Platform for All Ages and All Travelers

Ten years ago, Airbnb was launched by three Millennials in their twenties. While the platform
remains extremely popular among young adults, it has rapidly become the option of choice for
every type of traveler at every age.

As shown in the chart below, while 18-29 year olds make up 41 percent of outbound guests
from New York State, the median guest from New York is in her thirties, and over 677,000
outbound travelers are 40 years of age or older.

Not only are hosts over the age of 60 the fastest

growing segment of the Airbnb community-- in
Europe, the U.S., and here in New York-- but
hosts over 60 are also using Airbnb as guests to
travel at home and abroad.

You dont have to be a Senior Nomad to enjoy

travelling on Airbnb. In fact, last year, nearly
118,000 outbound guests from New York over
the age of 60 used Airbnb, including nearly
2,000 over the age of 80.

In addition to appealing to travelers from 19 to

99, Airbnb is also providing affordable, unique accommodations for solo travelers, couples, and
families alike.

Last year, 90 percent of trips booked on Airbnb by outbound guests from New York were for
parties of four people or fewer, with the largest number of trips (44 percent of the total) including
two travelers. Only 1 percent of trips included 10 or more travelers.

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Snowbirds and Smelling the Roses: Seasonal Shifts in New Yorkers Travel on Airbnb

The legendary Russian writer Anton Chekhov once declared that People don't notice whether
it's winter or summer when they're happy. That may well be true, but for many New Yorkers,
happiness can be boosted by having a taste of summer in the midst of the muddy sidewalk
slush of winter, or an escape to the forest during the sweltering summer months.

Indeed, while many global cities like NYC, Paris, and London are consistently near the top of
New Yorkers travel on Airbnb, several cities see significant seasonal shifts in popularity.

For example, there were 29,000 outbound guests from New York State to Miami Beach in the
last year, good for 12th overall among all cities worldwide. However, those visitors were
concentrated in the winter months, with 9,800 snowbirds journeying south from New York from
January-March 2017, good for 6th overall during that quarter.

New Yorkers Flock to the Sunny Shores of Miami Beach in Winter Months

Similarly, while Portland, Oregon ranks 20th in popularity among New York-based travelers, with
21,000 outbound guest arrivals from New York State over the past year, the Rose City was a
prime destination in the dry, sunny summer months, generating 9,000 outbound guest arrivals
from July-September 2016-- good for 9th overall.

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 Portland, Ore.-- The Rose City-- is a Top Summer Destination for New York-Based Travelers

Proud Parents in Ithaca, Timeless Romance in Paris: Differences in Destinations by Age

In addition to seasonal differences in New Yorkers travel patterns, there are also several
notable differences between age groups.

While New York City is the top destination for every age group of New York-based travelers,
Ithaca, New York-- home to Cornell University and Ithaca College-- is a top ten destination for
travelers between the ages of 50-59 (Ithaca is not in the top 20 destinations for younger age
groups). This highlights Airbnbs value to college towns like Ithaca, providing a variety of
accommodations for excited parents at Commencement and other major events.

In addition, while 30-somethings are drawn to Havana, Cuba more than any other age group
(the 3rd most popular destination), New York-based travelers over the age of 70 are drawn to
the romantic riverside cafs in the City of Light, Paris (the 2nd most popular destination after
NYC).

Rome is a very popular destination among New York-based travelers over the age of 50 (5th
most common destination among 50-59 and 60-69 age brackets and 6th most common for
70-79 age bracket). However, younger travelers appear to be putting off their trip to this ancient

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capital, perhaps banking on Romes reputation as the Eternal City. Rome clocks in at 13th for
30-39 year-olds and 16th for 18-29 year olds.

On the flip side, Miami Beach is very popular among New Yorks youngest travelers (9th globally
for 18-29 year olds), while dropping out of the top twenty for travelers over the age of 50.

Differences in Destination by Municipality

Lastly, we take a look at the differences in destinations for travelers based in New York City,
Rochester, and Buffalo-- the three largest cities for outbound guests from New York State.

First, while New York City remains the top destination for travelers located in New York City and
Rochester, Toronto takes the top spot for travelers from Buffalo. In fact, Canadas most
populous metropolis also ranks highly for Rochester-based travelers (2nd), while coming in 19th
for NYC-based travelers.

Next, international destinations like Paris (3rd), Havana (4th), and London (6th) rank highly on
the list of destinations for New York City-based travelers. While London and Paris crack the top
20 for Rochester/Buffalo-based travelers, folks from these cities are more likely to enjoy
destinations within New York State (NYC excluded).3 For instance, Lake Placid is 19th among
Rochester-based travelers, Ellicottville is 15th among Buffalo-based travelers, and Ithaca is 4th
and 10th among Rochester and Buffalo-based travelers, respectively.

Moreover, like NYC residents, Rochester and Buffalo residents use Airbnb within their own
cities, with Rochester coming in 7th for travelers there, and Buffalo coming in 3rd for travelers
from the Queen City.

The preferred destinations of travelers from these cities also speak to historic economic
connections between regions and municipalities.

In the 19th century, the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh railway was a critical cog in
extracting coal from the Keystone Stone and distributing it through the ports along the Great
Lakes.4 While the economies of these great cities have undergone significant transformations,5
they continue to share industries and ideas. Thus, it comes as little surprise that Pittsburgh
ranks 9th for Buffalo-based travelers and 16th among Rochester-based travelers.

3
Among the top 12 destinations for NYC-based travelers, five are outside the U.S. and Canada,
compared to one for Rochester-based travelers, and zero for Buffalo-based travelers.
4
http://www.american-rails.com/buffalo-rochester-and-pittsburgh-railway.html.
5
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/opinion/rochesters-survival-lessons.html.

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CONCLUSION

The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first
wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world.

-- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1922)

New Yorkers are known for being restless, curious, and inquisitive. Thus it comes as no surprise
that they are among Airbnbs most active users. The 2.85 million outbound guests from New
York return home with new friends, new memories, new recipes, new skills, and perhaps most
importantly, new ideas.

Every time a New Yorker

returns from a trip, they
bring part of that
destination back home,
enriching the lives of their
families and communities
and breathing new life
into the wild promise
that New York represents
to people from every
corner of the globe.

These residents also

bring back a love and
appreciation for home
sharing and a commitment to see that it can thrive in their own backyards. Indeed, while hosts
have long been home sharings most outspoken ambassadors, guests who understand the
value of this growing industry are increasingly vocal in support of reasonable regulations in their
own hometowns. In fact, 73 percent of Americans want Airbnb legal where they live, including
81 percent of Millennials. Moreover, 70 percent of New Yorkers believe that residents should be
allowed to rent their homes.

The bottom line is that millions of New Yorkers are enjoying the economic opportunity created
by Airbnb-- from Millennial hosts paying down student debt and o lder New Yorkers relying on
home sharing to age in place to homeowners welcoming travelers to s tate parks and local
businesses benefitting from increased foot traffic.

Its time that New York follow the lead of other cities, states, and nations in embracing
homesharing. By passing A-7520, the State Legislature can bring the Empire States laws into
the 21st century, supporting public safety and economic development from Buffalo to Brooklyn.

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APPENDIX

The charts below highlight additional metrics for New York Outbound Guests on Airbnb.

List of Top Destinations for New York-Based Travelers (Aug. 1, 2016 - Aug. 1, 2017)

# of Outbound
Destination Guests
New York City 192,000
Los Angeles 71,000
Paris, France 51,000
Montreal, Canada 50,000
Havana, Cuba 45,000

Washington, D.C. 38,000

Philadelphia 38,000
London, England 38,000
Toronto, Canada 32,000
Rome, Italy 29,000
New Orleans 29,000
Miami Beach 29,000
Barcelona, Spain 27,000
Nashville 27,000
Boston 26,000
San Francisco 25,000
Austin 24,000
Tokyo, Japan 23,000
Chicago 22,000
Portland 21,000

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 Top Municipalities for New York-Based Outbound Guests (Aug. 1, 2016 - Aug. 1, 2017)

Municipality # of Outbound Guests

New York City 2,070,000

Rochester 56,000
Buffalo 55,000
Ithaca 34,000
Syracuse 27,000
Albany 24,000
Schenectady 14,000
Yonkers 10,000

Saratoga Springs 9,000

White Plains 9,000
Poughkeepsie 7,000
Troy 7,000
Binghamton 7,000
Scarsdale 6,000
New Rochelle 6,000

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 Top 20 Destinations for Outbound Guests from NYC, Rochester, and Buffalo
(Aug. 1, 2016 - Aug. 1, 2017)

Rochester Buffalo New York City

New York City Toronto, Canada New York City
Toronto, Canada New York City Los Angeles
Montreal, Canada Buffalo Paris, France
Ithaca (NY) Los Angeles Havana, Cuba
Washington, D.C. Montreal, Canada Montreal, Canada
Los Angeles Nashville London, England
Rochester Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia Chicago Philadelphia
Boston Pittsburgh Miami Beach
Nashville Ithaca (NY) New Orleans
Chicago Philadelphia Rome, Italy
Paris, France Boston Barcelona, Spain
London, England Paris, France San Francisco
Buffalo New Orleans Austin
San Francisco Ellicottville (NY) Tokyo, Japan
Pittsburgh Rome, Italy Nashville
New Orleans Cleveland Boston
Miami London, England Chicago
Lake Placid Miami Beach Toronto, Canada
San Diego Seattle Portland (OR)

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