Airbnb Reveals Africa’s Top Trending Destinations

To commemorate Africa Day, a global celebration of African culture and heritage, Airbnb has today revealed the top trending destinations in Africa.

According to Airbnb data*, Cotonou, the vibrant capital of Benin tops the list. Guests on Airbnb are also set to embrace Salazie on the island of Réunion, a spot best-known for its volcanic landscape and hiking trails. Morocco also continues to be a popular destination for guests, with three out of 10 places on the list located there, as guests looked beyond Marrakech for stays off the beaten path.

Airbnb’s top 10 trending destinations in Africa for 2022*:

Cotonou, Benin
Kinshasa, Congo
Agadir, Morocco
Taghzout, Morocco
Salazie, Réunion Island
Kenitra, Morocco
Dahab, Egypt
Vaal Marina, South Africa
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Hurghada, Egypt

Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead for Middle East Africa at Airbnb, said, “The top trending destination list is a snapshot of where guests are booking and planning to travel on Airbnb. It’s exciting to see such a diverse range of destinations being represented from across Africa. We believe that travel can play a powerful role in promoting cross-cultural understanding and this list is a great example of the ways in which our community is connecting with and celebrating African culture.”

Naomi, a Host on Airbnb in Nairobi, Kenya, said, “Hosting on Airbnb is an amazing adventure where you can meet guests from different parts of the world. My most memorable experience is when l hosted a guest who works in Bermuda. He decided to use Kenya as his stopover from Zimbabwe to Bermuda. It was his first time in Nairobi, Kenya. What he enjoyed most was when l took him to the tourist market called ‘Masai Market’ where you browse all sorts of African products. He was very excited to understand the culture of Kenyans and how young people in Kenya continue to embrace it. Our culture is very rooted and it will take a long time to change. At the market you can get items our forefathers used in their time.”

Prospective Hosts across Africa can learn more about how much they could earn by sharing their space on Airbnb through the What’s My Place Worth tool. The interactive tool computes the estimated income based on geography, type of listing, and also uses prior Airbnb booking data in the area. For more information, visit Airbnb.com/host.

*According to Airbnb Data for Trending Destinations in Africa for guests globally (minimum 5000 searches) – Q1 2022 vs Q1 2019.