In a surprise to absolutely no one who has searched online for a rental in Whistler— whether long term or short—in the last few years, Airbnb has named the resort among the country's most profitable destinations for vacation rental hosts.
Whistler appeared atop the list of five Canadian communities where Airbnb hosts stand to benefit most from welcoming long-term guests to stay in their rental units, the company said in a news release about the top North American destinations for "digital nomads" and remote workers. Airbnb defines "long-term rentals" as any stay that lasts 28 days or longer.
Whistler was followed on that list by Vancouver, Quebec ski resort Mont-Tremblant, Toronto and (slightly more surprisingly) Kitchener, Ont.
The ranking was based on median host earnings income reported in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022, according to Airbnb.
"The trend of living and working from anywhere is an opportunity not only for digital nomads, but also for current and prospective Hosts who have the space to share with them," the company explained in the release.
According to vacation rental data analysis site AirDNA MarketMinder, the average daily rate for private vacation rental bookings in Whistler is CAD$343. It estimates the median monthly revenue earned by Whistler hosts over the past 12 months as $4,400. The site claims 34 per cent of Whistler vacation rentals are solely listed on Airbnb, while 15 per cent are only listed on VRBO, and 51 per cent are listed on both.
Airbnb said hosts in Canada raked in more than US$280 million from long-term stays from Q1 2021 through Q1 2022.
In the same release, Airbnb also identified the most popular, most affordable, best equipped and most hospitable destinations for long-term stays from coast to coast.
Most Popular
The following destinations had the most long-term stay trips booked in Canada in the first three months of the year, accoring to Airbnb.
- Toronto, Ont,
- Montréal, Que.
- Vancouver, B.C.
- Calgary, Alta.
- Victoria, B.C.
Most Affordable
Determined by studying the average price per night for long-term stays in destinations that had 1,000 or more long-term stay nights booked in Q1 2022, Airbnb named the following communities as the most affordable in Canada for its "nomadic" guests .
- Trois-Rivières, Que. ($35.6 USD per night)
- Medicine Hat, Alta. ($41.3 USD per night)
- Gatineau, Que. ($44.5 USD per night)
- Thorold, Ont. ($46.9 USD per night)
- Québec City, Que. ($48 USD per night)
Best Equipped
Airbnb said it compiled this list of the destinations with "the highest share of long-term stay ready listings," based on communities with at least 1,000 active listings as of Q1 2022.
- Toronto, Ont.
- Vancouver, B.C.
- Edmonton, Alta.
- Gatineau, Que.
- Victoria, B.C.
Most Hospitable
Airbnb identified the following Canadian cities as boasting he highest percentages of five-star reviews from long-term stays.
- Halifax, N.S. (92.6 per cent)
- Winnipeg, Man. (87.7 per cent)
- Nanaimo, B.C. (87.1 per cent)
- Surrey, B.C. (86.1 per cent)
- Kelowna, B.C. (86.1 per cent)
The subheadline in an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Canadian Airbnb hosts brought in US$280 in revenue in the first quarter of 2022. In fact, that revenue was generated between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022.
