Arkansas Airbnb hosts earned $17.4 million in 2018
by January 14, 2019 5:41 am 3,917 views
Murray’s Cabin in the Ozarks, owned by Rose and Jim Horner
Travelers to Arkansas contributed $17.4 million in supplemental income to Airbnb hosts in 2018.
The worldwide, community-driven hospitality company announced that its Arkansas host community welcomed approximately 167,900 guest arrivals to the state last year.
“Arkansas residents are increasingly embracing the home sharing platform as an opportunity to earn meaningful extra income and make ends meet. There are now 2,300 Arkansas hosts who share their homes via Airbnb, typically earning about $5,300 annually in supplemental income,” a media release said.
A 2017 agreement between Arkansas and Airbnb allows the company to collect and remit the Arkansas Tourism Tax and Gross Receipts tax, as well as local sales and use taxes on behalf of its hosts. The company has similar tax agreements with the cities of Batesville, Bella Vista, Bentonville, Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Hot Springs, North Little Rock and Springdale.
Home sharing provides significant extra lodging for communities when hotels sell out during big events and popular weekends, like Fayetteville during college football games, the company said.
A county-by-county breakdown shows Garland County had the most guests in 2018 with 33,500 guests generating $3.4 million in host income. Benton County had 28,700 guests contributing $3.35 million and Washington County had 26,800 guest contributing $2.9 million.
Founded in 2008, the accommodation marketplace provides access to more than 5 million unique places to stay in more than 81,000 cities and 191 countries, according to its website.