Osceola County Among Top Airbnb Florida Vacation Rental Markets | Orlando Area News | Orlando

Airbnb hosts in Florida welcomed more than 4.5 million guests to the state in 2018, and a good portion of those visitors stayed in Osceola County.

The vacation rental platform announced Tuesday that owners in Osceola County hosted 640,000 guests last year and earned $82.6 million. Osceola County was second to Miami-Dade County, which hosted 954,000 guests and grossed $204 million.

Osceola County topped other Central Florida counties by huge margins, including Orange, which earned $40 million from 338,000 guests; Lake, which grossed $6.5 million from 49,000 guests; and Seminole, which grossed $2.7 million from 22,000 guests.

In total, Airbnb says Florida landlords earned $810 million. The vacation rental platform reports that more than 45,000 hosts who share homes in Florida typically earn around $6,500 a year in additional income.

Statewide data indicates that Airbnb and its hospitality community appear to complement – ​​rather than compete with – Florida’s hospitality industry,” Airbnb said in a statement. “The latest state-commissioned report demonstrates that Florida hotel occupancy rates, daily rates and revenue grew steadily even as local hosts welcomed millions of guests. This suggests that vacation rentals are opening up the state to a new slice of potential tourists by catering to travelers less able to afford hotels, those who want to stay in neighborhoods or cities that lack hotels. and families who prefer to be together under one roof. .”

Airbnb released its report the same day Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would target the company for his decision against list properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. DeSantis said Tuesday that the state’s Board of Directors would determine whether Airbnb is subject to a new Florida law banning state investment in companies that boycott Israel.

In a statement to the Florida News Service, Airbnb said it “unequivocally rejects” boycott, divestment, sanctions, or “BDS,” a Palestinian-led movement boycotting Israel.

“We have worked with the Florida State Board of Directors on this issue, we remain committed to the more than 45,000 Airbnb hosts in Florida who share their homes with more than 4.5 million visitors, and we will continue to do everything we can to support our community,” Airbnb told NSF in a statement.

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