The number of tourists who stayed overnight in Belgium last year with the help of Airbnb rose up to 600,000.
Last year, about 600,000 tourists used Airbnb residence in Belgium, compared to 350,700 a year earlier, the company said. Brussels and Flanders were in especially high demand, welcoming 230,000 and 270,000 guests, respectively.
Along with the increase in the number of tourists, the number of available rentals is also on the rise throughout Belgium, increasing by 19% to 12,500 in 2016.
In Brussels, however, the number of Airbnb landlords decreased by 7% last year to 5,100. The terror threat played a big role, as evidenced by the fact that 70% of the overnight stays took place outside of the city centre.
But stricter rules imposed by the Brussels government in April pose the greatest threat to Airbnb’s success in the capital.
In 2015, hosts earned an average of €2,300 per year letting their property via Airbnb. That same year, the average Airbnb landlord opened his home to guests for a total of 36 days. The average rental period last year was only 29 days.