Local travel on the rise: See the top trending destinations locals love
Key Takeaways
- Local travel is on the rise—nights stayed by Airbnb guests within 300 miles of where they live have nearly doubled over the last five years.
- End-of-summer holidays like Labor Day are a great time to stay local. In 2023, more than half of Airbnb stays in the US over Labor Day weekend were within driving distance.
- To help plan last-minute Labor Day travel, we highlighted some of the top destinations and listings locals love on Airbnb.
Guests are increasingly discovering amazing stays closer to home. Over the past five years, nights stayed by Airbnb guests within 300 miles of their home (which is about a tank of gas away) have nearly doubled.1 Although international travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, the trend of traveling locally shows no signs of slowing. In fact, local travel is growing twice as fast as long-distance travel on Airbnb.2
End-of-summer holidays like Labor Day in the US are a great time to stay local. In 2023, more than half of US Airbnb stays over the Labor Day weekend were located less than a tank of gas away. Especially in larger states like California, Florida, and Texas, and in states renowned for the outdoors, such as Oregon, Alaska, and North Carolina, many guests rely on Airbnb to discover destinations close to home. The following US states saw the highest percentage of guests staying in their home states during the first half of 2024.
By using Airbnb to travel locally, guests can discover off-the-beaten path destinations close to home, all while saving time and money. Families can forego pricey flights, spend more time relaxing rather than coordinating logistics, and find a unique Airbnb listing that offers an experience in and of itself.
What’s more, by offering visitors affordable, nearby accommodations, Airbnb helps boost local tourism and economies — including in areas with few or no hotels. In 2023, Airbnb guests in the US spent on average $210 per day on attractions, transportation, and small businesses as part of their stay, including approximately $65 on local restaurants.3 This helped generate an estimated $80 billion in visitor spending across the country last year alone.
Planning your last-minute Labor Day staycation
Even with Labor Day just a few weeks away, it’s not too late to plan a last-minute staycation. And what better way to find inspiration than by looking to where the locals go?
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the top trending Labor Day destinations booked by locals.4 Ranging from the nation’s Bourbon capital of Louisville, Kentucky to smaller coastal getaways like North Topsail Beach in North Carolina and South Padre Island in Texas, each of these destinations are Labor Day travel spots that locals love.
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Somerville, Massachusetts
- Syracuse, New York
- Big Bear Lake, California
- New Haven, Connecticut
- North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
- South Padre Island, Texas
- Ocean City, New Jersey
To further inspire end-of-summer staycations, we’ve also spotlighted some of our Guest Favorites that were most booked by locals.5 Many of these unique listings are destinations in and of themselves, allowing guests to experience an adventure without traveling far from home.
Note: All homes in this article are intended purely to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not recommend or endorse these listings or any other homes on the platform.
1. Increase in nights stayed within 300 miles of where guests lives compared to increase in nights stayed for stays further than 300 miles of where guests live from January 1 – June 30, 2019 to January 1 – June 30, 2024.
2. Increase in nights stayed within 300 miles of where guests live from January 1 – June 30, 2019 to January 1 – June 30, 2024 compared to the increase in nights booked over 300 miles of where guests live from January 1 – June 30, 2019 to January 1 – June 30, 2024.
3. Based on an internal survey of Airbnb guests in the US from January 1 – December 31, 2023.
4. Destinations with a growing number of nights booked for Labor Day within 300 miles of where guests live from January 1 – June 30, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
5. Listings with the highest number of nights booked for Labor Day within 300 miles of where guests live from January 1 – June 30, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 1.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
About Airbnb.org
Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.'s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org's charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.
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