New research from Oxford Economics found Airbnb is an important pillar of
India’s tourism industry, contributing over USD$920 million (INR 72 Billion) to Gross Domestic
Product and supporting over 85,000 Indian jobs in 2022* alone. The GDP contribution and jobs
supported in India has more than doubled since 2019 despite the Covid-19 outbreak and
international border restrictions.
The report also highlighted the powerful multiplier effect Airbnb guest spending has within local
communities. In 2022*, Airbnb guests spent a total of USD$815 million (INR 64 billion) in India in
areas like purchases on transportation, restaurants, retail stores, and retail stores. The guests
spent in 2022* more than doubled the 2019 levels.
In India, Airbnb’s presence was the highest in Goa, where Airbnb guests spending amounted to
almost USD$190 million ( INR 14.8 billion), this was followed by Bangalore and Delhi, Mumbai and
Manali.
It details the significant contribution made by Airbnb guests to domestic tourism across the
nation. In 2022*, domestic Airbnb guest spending totalled USD$670 million (INR 52.6 billion), and
accounted for approximately 82 percent of total Airbnb guest spend in India, around a three-fold
increase from 2019.
The report also explores two profound changes in travel behaviour since the pandemic: the
dispersal of tourism away from urban areas, and long-term stays driven by the emergence of
flexible work arrangements.
James Lambert, Director for Economic Consulting in Asia for Oxford Economics said, Airbnb
has clearly played a major role in the resilience and rebirth of the Indian travel and tourism sector
in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Airbnb has been at the heart of some of the trends reshaping the nation’s travel and tourism
industry, including the shift in travel away from cities and towards more rural communities, and
the increase in demand for long-stay trips, exemplified by the live and work anywhere
phenomenon, Lambert said.
“Domestic travellers have been crucial to the tourism sector’s resilience over the past three years
as Indian guests saw opportunities in domestic travel as a substitute for international holidays,
with self-drive and regional trips increasing in popularity which led to a wider dispersion of
tourism spend outside the traditional or ‘popular’ destinations in India.”
Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan
said, “The economic contribution to both GDP and jobs driven by travel on Airbnb in India has
created powerful economic ripple effects that have enabled the growth of local businesses, such
as shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes — which are often central to how travellers experience a
destination — and created job opportunities for the locals.”
“Travel is now more dispersed, and so the economic benefits are being shared across more
destinations, enabling a valuable economic contribution to rural and regional areas. This
dispersal is being driven by Hosts on Airbnb and in turn creating economic opportunities for
various communities.”
“As destinations across India continue to recover, we are committed to partnering with
governments and communities to rebuild their tourism economies in a way that is equitable,
inclusive, and sustainable.”
This report explores the twelve months to March 2023 — representing a year since travel
restrictions started to be removed across India.
* This report presents results for the twelve month period up to and including March 2023, referred to as
2022*, which represents the first full year after the reopening of international travel. Prevailing exchange
rates at the time of study were applied, using proprietary data from Oxford Economics.
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home,
and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed over 1.5 billion guest arrivals in
almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that
make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
About Oxford Economics
Oxford Economics was founded in 1981 as a commercial venture with Oxford University’s
business college to provide economic forecasting and modelling to UK companies and financial
institutions expanding abroad. Since then, we have become one of the world’s foremost
independent global advisory firms, providing reports, forecasts and analytical tools on more than
200 countries, 100 industries, and 8,000 cities and regions.