Worldwide: Airbnb has published a list of 19 destinations it expects to be trending in 2019, as well as a sample of potential listings and experiences to try out.
These destinations have been compiled based on a combination of Airbnb search and booking and wish list growth data and they include a range of off-the-beaten-track regions, cities and towns to explore.
1. Kaikoura, New Zealand: 295 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 210 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include whale and seal watching
2. Xiamen, China: 283 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings
Experiences include baking bread at a local dessert studio and experiencing nightlife like a local on a pub crawl
3. Puebla, Mexico: 240 per cent year-on-year increase in searches, 206 per cent year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include taking cooking classes or attending live lucha libre events
4. Normandy, France: 229 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 120 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include visiting the famous Route du Camembert trail, named after the popular cheese
5. Great Smoky Mountains, United States: 191 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 190 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include seeing America’s most visited national park and attending the annual Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival
6. Buenos Aires, Argentina: 188 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 176 per cent year-on-year growth in wish list inclusion
Experiences include touring a restored Unimog, historic towns like Tigre and visiting the bustling craft markets
7. Accra, Ghana: 163 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 120 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include visiting colourful bazaars and getting a taste of the nightlife on the Gulf of Guinea
8. Mozambique: 156 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 160 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include finding Mozambique’s pink flamingos, Nile crocodiles and dolphins
9. Outer Hebrides, Scotland: 147 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 170 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include watching Scotland’s wildlife including red deer, golden eagles, water otters, dolphins and whales
10. Wakayama Prefecture, Japan: 128 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings
Experiences include meditation, temple services, tuna-cutting shows and the Nachi Fire Festival
11. Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley, United States: 100 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, 130 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include skiing, snowboarding and hiking
12. Santa Catarina State, Brazil: 100 per cent plus year-on-year increase in bookings, 140 per cent year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include attending the annual Oktoberfest parade and visiting the city’s Beer Museum
13. Batumi, Georgia: 200 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include visiting the nearby beaches around the Black Sea and ski resorts
14. Winnipeg, Canada: 140 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include heading to the country’s ultra-modern Museum for Human Rights
15. Pondicherry, India: 140 per cent year-on-year increase in searches
Experiences include scuba diving with corals, manta rays, sharks, whales or dolphins, going to the world’s second largest mangrove jungle and learning the classical art of Bharatanatyam dance
16. Uzbekistan: 165 per cent year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include viewing the stunning landscapes at the Silk Road and the Samarkand UNESCO World Heritage site
17. Calabria, Italy: 100 per cent plus year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include participating in guided hikes or truffle tours
18. Andalusia, Spain: 100 per cent plus year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include exploring the Route of the White Hill Towns
19. Taiwan: 100 per cent plus year-on-year increase in wish list inclusion
Experiences include visiting hot springs and mango farms
