A macroeconomic perspective on Airbnb’s global presence

The rise of the P2P economy has been fueled by a range of social, economic and technological factors, but limited research has been focused on the P2P economy from a macroeconomic perspective. Therefore this study tried to identify the macroeconomic factors affecting Airbnb’s global presence. In order to explain the number of rentals available in different capitals, we considered several macroeconomic factors, such as countries’ degree of technological development, economic size, the relative size of the tourism and travel industries, tourist arrivals, nominal exchange rate, the average level of economic development (or well-being), and their productivity level. This study found that the total number of listings is positively correlated with the development index, the contribution of trade and tourism to GDP, the nominal exchange rate and negatively with GDP per employed person. Airbnb is more popular in countries where the population is technologically savvy. Another significant variable is represented by the relative size of the tourism and trade industries in the country. Implications of research findings and directions for future research are suggested.