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Airbnb is reporting a surge in bookings lining up with the upcoming total solar eclipse.
Cities within the path of totality for the eclipse on April 8 are experiencing a 1,000 percent increase in searches for Airbnbs, the company said, with Airbnb claiming its rentals outpace available hotel rooms 15 to 1 in the eclipse’s path.
Austin and the surrounding Texas Hill Country have proven the most popular destination for Airbnb guests, according to Airbnb. Following Austin in popularity are Mazatlán, Mexico; Indianapolis; Montreal; and Cleveland. The city with the most travelers looking to go elsewhere to experience the extremely rare solar event is New York City, followed by Mexico City, Seattle and Chicago.
Airbnb hosts within the path of totality are seeing particularly heavy demand for rentals that have private outdoor space well-suited to viewing the eclipse, with 76 percent of guests saying outdoor space was important to them and 59 percent of guests saying they wanted a private space for just them and their group to experience the eclipse.
Fifty-three percent of guests were looking for a convenient location near a good place to view the eclipse, while 49 percent wanted to be near a public event to view the eclipse with other people, according to an Airbnb survey.
The eclipse has also inspired a wave of new hosts on the platform. Airbnb reported more than 1,000 hosts plan to host guests in their home for the first time ever around April 8, as towns along the path of totality experience a wave of demand for lodgings.
On April 8, the partial eclipse will begin at around 2 p.m. EDT, with the total eclipse beginning shortly after 3 p.m. Some parts of North America will experience total darkness in the middle of the day for more than four minutes as the moon fully eclipses the sun. Following this one, a total eclipse isn’t projected to occur again in North America for more than 20 years.
