Proving that wine tourism is alive and well, Airbnb has launched a new “Vineyard” category featuring more than 120,000 stays at working wineries around the world.
The Airbnb vacation app has revealed the average winery host earned more than £9,200 last year from wine lovers who chose to stay in their accommodation.
Capitalizing on the continued strength of wine tourism, the company unveiled its new “Vineyard” listing category, with over 120,000 wine-focused trips to browse. It has also partnered with Wine GB to create a series of ‘wish lists’ for wine tours in the UK.
In 2021, the entire Vineyard category on Airbnb in the UK alone brought in almost £35m, showing that consumer appetite for wine stays remains high, and the ribbon has been cut to the new category just in time for English Wine Week (18-26 June).
“Working with Airbnb couldn’t come at a better time for wine tourism in the UK, as wine lovers buy English and Welsh wine and want to find more,” said Simon Thorpe MW, CEO of Wine GB. “Producers across the country welcome visitors and provide a range of exciting experiences, from the cellar door to beautiful accommodations.
“Airbnb offers so many different options for staying on or near vineyards, many of which are located in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. We couldn’t be more delighted that there is now a Vineyard category which will open up many more opportunities to experience some of Britain’s wine gems.
Airbnb’s analysis showed winery stays, along with other “one-of-a-kind” listings such as treehouses and historic homes, increased 120% in 2021 compared to 2019, while the world was slowly starting to emerge from the covid-19 pandemic.
Nick Brewer, who co-hosts Avalon Lodge on Oastbrook Vineyard with his wife America Brewer, said: “Hosting through Airbnb allows us to get more guests than we would get through direct marketing.” He further explained that this was largely because customers could “book their vineyard stay and wine experience on the same app with a platform they are already comfortable with.”
America works the vineyard she planted in 2018 at her site by the River Rother, near Bodium Castle.
“I had heard of a quiet revolution in England with some sparkling wines starting to challenge established champagne brands,” said America, who moved to the UK from Brazil. “As I began to visit local vineyards, I met people who would subsequently become my friends and colleagues. They were the ones who encouraged me to study wine production at Plumpton College.
The couple’s Scandi-style wooden lodge overlooking Oastbrook Vineyard has a hot tub, en-suite master bedroom and kitchen, and is one of many vineyard stays in the UK.
From an eco-friendly cabin in a Suffolk vineyard and a quaint cottage nestled in a vineyard in Monmouthshire, Wales, to an imposing stone estate overlooking the vineyards of Cornwall, oenophiles can scroll to their heart’s content.
Wine tours in Croatia, Portugal, Provence and Argentina are also available through Airbnb.
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