Economic effects of Airbnb in New Zealand

Airbnb is a peer to peer platform on which people can list and book accommodation around the world, including 225 locations in New Zealand. Airbnb’s platform connects a community of guests and hosts to facilitate short-term stays.

Airbnb contributes to New Zealand’s tourism industry by facilitating accommodation bookings with local hosts. Around 578,000 stays were booked with Airbnb in New Zealand in 2017, with Airbnb hosts accommodating 1.4 million guests for over 1.5 million nights in towns and cities across the country. Around one quarter of trips booked were in Auckland, followed by Queenstown, Christchurch and Wellington as the top four destinations in New Zealand.

Airbnb engaged Deloitte Access Economics to assess the economic contribution of Airbnb in New Zealand. This report quantifies the economic contribution of Airbnb guest spending to the New Zealand economy, as well as considering how Airbnb is aligned with government tourism objectives.

In 2017, the total economic contribution associated with the tourism expenditure of Airbnb guests in New Zealand was around $660 million in value added, supporting 6,006 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. An analysis of tourism policies across New Zealand finds Airbnb can help contribute to a number of their objectives, principally through expanding room supply, but also through enhancing the visitor experience.

In additional to the national report, city specific research examines the economic impacts of Airbnb on regional economies, estimating the contribution of guest spending, the economic benefits enjoyed by guests, and the income earned by hosts. By adding to both the volume and variety of guest accommodation, we find that there are a number of benefits for guests, hosts, and the tourism industry.