Airbnb Growth Story Has a Plot Twist - A Saturation Point

Has Airbnb reached peak Airbnb in the U.S. and Europe? A new report from Morgan Stanley seems to suggest as much.

In the company’s third annual AlphaWise survey of more than 4,000 adult consumers in the U.S., UK, France, and Germany, it found that Airbnb adoption in the U.S. and Europe is slowing, providing an opportunity for online travel agency competitors such as Priceline (Booking.com) and Expedia to grab some share.

The percentage of travelers who used Airbnb during the 12 months up to October 2017 increased 25 percent, up three basis points. By contrast, in last year’s survey, that increase was up eight basis points.

Awareness of Airbnb is at an all-time high, the report argues. Morgan Stanley’s analysts suggested two reasons for the slowing usage rates. One is that Airbnb may simply be too big, or that it’s become so mainstream that it’s harder for the company to grow as it used to. The survey noted an 80 percent awareness among travelers. In 2016, awareness levels were 72 percent.

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Source: Skift