Airbnb hosts globally earned over US$2,4bn (R41bn) over the Southern hemisphere summer last year.

As it continues to entice travellers from around the world, the online platform has released its trending destinations for the same period this year, based on searches made on its website in Q3 2022 for travel from December 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023.

The top searched South African destinations were:Hillcrest, KwaZulu Natal was the most popular, ahead of Eersterivierstrand, Eastern Cape. Kingsburgh and Westville in KZN also made the top ten, as well as Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. 

Western Cape was the most popular province, with Malgas, Grabouw, Breede River, Buffelsbaai and Tergniet the most sought-after areas by locals.

The top five booked categories this summer for South African guests are ‘Beach’, ‘Amazing pools’, ‘Iconic city’, ‘Beachfront’, and ‘Surfing’.