In spite of worries about an economy in decline and people facing higher costs, according to Airbnb, vacation demand is still strong.
An all-time high for the housing website, close to 104 million nights and experiences were booked on the platform between April and June.
The fastest-growing travel category is still long-term stays, a change brought on by the expansion of remote employment.
However, sluggish city and international travel has also improved.
The business told investors that it was prepared for anything the economy could throw at it, noting that it was now in the midst of its biggest peak summer travel season yet.
According to experts, a slowdown can even be beneficial to the business.
In a conference call with investors to assess the company’s performance, chief executive Brian Chesky stated, “Airbnb was formed during the recession.”
He stated, “We anticipate a lot of people may resort to hosting once more, therefore this is a significant potential for us,” in the case of another downturn.
Overall, reservations from April through June increased by 24 percent from 2018 and by 25 percent from 2019. They totaled 103.7 million.
The company’s sales increased by 58 percent from the previous year to $2.1bn thanks in part to higher pricing.
According to the business, reservations for a week or more make up about half of all bookings.
North America continues to have the highest demand for travel, with bookings up 37% over last year.
While travel has rebounded from the epidemic, Europe’s growth is trailing behind it due to reasons like the lower pound.
Demand in the Asia Pacific area is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to the business, which announced in May that it was leaving China, as Covid regulations kept Chinese visitors at home.
Although China listings were taken down in July, Airbnb still has more than 6 million active listings.
The company has now achieved “growth and profitability at scale,” according to Mr. Chesky, who also announced plans to spend $2 billion on buying back its own shares, which have declined in value this year.
The buyback program, according to executives, was a demonstration of their faith in the company’s future.
Compared to last year, when the firm lost $68 million, it posted a profit of $379 million.
