Airbnb nation: More than 85million company loved short-term allows UK final yr, new figures present – and Cornwall in August is in highest demand
More than 85million people took up short-term lets across Britain last year – with controversy hit Cornwall stoking up the highest demand across the country.
Hundreds of thousands headed to the seaside county every month, filling guest houses rented out on holiday websites including AirBnB, Expedia and booking.com.
In August 2023 Cornwall saw the highest number of visitors per month for anywhere in the UK – 710,860. They also came second on the list, with July 2023 racking up 565,700 bookings.
They were only beaten overall across the year by Westminster, in central London, who flogged 3,520,450 short-term lets from July 2023 to June 2024. They also scored the highest percentage of international visitors, with 87 per cent of bookings coming from overseas.
Over the year London had almost half of the UK total number of international guest nights for the UK.
It comes as coastal towns across the UK revolt against a surge in holiday lets and second homes by raising council tax and refusing to sell to outsiders.
Hundreds of thousands headed to Cornwall every month, filling guest houses rented out on holiday websites. Pictured: Trebah Beach in Cornwall
In August 2023 Cornwall saw the highest number of visitors per month for anywhere in the UK – 710,860. Pictured: Widemouth Bay near Bude, Cornwall
They were only beaten overall across the year by Westminster, in central London , (pictured) who flogged 3,520,450 short-term lets from July 2023 to June 2024
Locals in Yorkshire, Cornwall, Devon and Kent are all calling for their councils to do more to tackle the summer tide of holidaymakers which leave their towns ‘dark and depressing’ in winter.
In total, the UK saw more than 85million guest nights in that time span – with 78 per cent of these in England.
Wales had nearly six million, accounting for seven per cent, while Northern Ireland brought in two per cent of visitors and Scotland 13 per cent.
Just 12 – about three per cent – of the 387 local administrative units across the country hosted a quarter of the total number of guest nights for the UK.
They included Westminster, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Liverpool, Gwynedd, South Lakeland, Brighton and Hove, Birmingham and Southwark.
The growth of holiday rentals is said to have exacerbated the housing crisis in Cornwall, which currently has over 20,000 people on the housing list.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in the Conservative government’s last Budget earlier this year that a tax relief on holiday lets would be scrapped in a bid to increase the availability of long-term rental accommodation.
Around 800 families were living in emergency or temporary accommodation at the time as an increasing number of private landlords turn to the lucrative holiday trade and let their properties on Airbnb and other sites.
Edinburgh came in third highest on the list of areas with the most guest nights, with 3,072,720 across the year
And central London’s celebrity-populated Kensington and Chelsea came in fourth with 1,749,390
Wales had a smaller proportion of international guests compared with the other UK countries in the twelve months to June 2024
In January 2023, Cornwall Council approved plans to charge owners of second homes in the picturesque county double council tax in a bid to clamp down on the rising cost of rent driven up by a falling housing stock.
According to the council’s database, there were 13,292 second homes registered in the county – many of which are left empty during off-peak holiday seasons. Meanwhile, the waiting list on the the social housing register has more than doubled over the last three years, according to the Big Issue.
The new data, from the Office for National Statistics, includes rented apartments or rooms but excludes other forms of accommodation, such as hotels or campsites.
The number of guest nights accounts for the number of nights spent during a stay multiplied by the number of visitors in the travel party.
The information has been aggregated from data from three large online collaborative economy platforms – Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia Group.
They show that the number of guest nights across the year is strongly affected by the seasons – spiking in the summer holidays of August and hitting lows of 3,651,460 in January.
International guest nights were also not evenly distributed, with Scotland pulling in a higher proportion of travellers than anywhere else – with nearly half of their rooms being rented by people from overseas.
Just 12 per cent of guests came to Wales from abroad, while just over a third travelled to see England.
Over the year London had almost half of the UK total number of international guest nights for the UK. Pictured: Camden, where 1,704,470 guest nights were counted
In Northern Ireland, they gained 41 per cent of their bookings from outside the UK – although a third of those were from the Republic of Ireland.
By local authority, Westminster raked in a stunning 87 per cent of visitors from overseas over the last year, making it the highest in England.
Skye and Lochalsh (69 per cent) was the highest in scotland in Scotland, with Cardiff (25 per cent) taking the prize in Wales and Derry City and Strabane (50 per cent) coming out on top in Northern Ireland.
International guests using the short-term lets booking platforms primarily hail from the US, which made up 20 per cent of the list.
The ‘Asia other’ country-of-origin category, including Malaysia, Thailand and India, made up one in ten tourists, and were quickly followed by Germans, who made up 9 per cent.
And while most decided to come to the UK during the summer months, some – such as those from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta all had the most guest nights in December, while Romanian guest nights were highest in November.
So how do Brits really feel about the rise of short term lets?
Welsh town refuses to sell houses to outsiders
In Narberth, locals are trying to stop tourists from pushing them out of their town with one developer refusing to sell homes to outsiders.
The brand-new brightly coloured homes in Moorfield Court have been built behind the site of an old Victorian building that used to be a primary school which fell into disrepair.
The building itself was transformed and now operates as Hwb, a food hall with four kitchens and a craft beer bar.
One of the school’s former pupils, Charles Salmon, 67, is behind the housing development and he is keen to use the plot for the benefit of the tight-knit local community.
He is putting in safeguards to stop the eight houses he’s built from being sold to outsiders as second homes and the ‘unique’ housing scheme is backed by locals fed up with properties snapped up by wealthy holidaymakers.
In Narberth, locals are trying to stop tourists from pushing them out of their town
Chef Ben Lucas is a young adult trying to buy a home in the Welsh town
The prices range from £299,500 to £320,000, and there will be an open day this weekend
The eight unique two-bedroom properties will be offered to locals first
However, the price tag and the preference that the homes be sold to over 55s has left many locals baffled as to how it will help the community
The prices range from £299,500 to £320,000, and there will be an open day this weekend.
Mr Salmon, who was brought up in the town, said: ‘There will be a vetting arrangement – I’m trying to keep it for locals.
‘They may have to sign something to say they are genuinely local people and the houses won’t be used as holiday lets.’
Father-of-three Mr Salmon, whose father was mayor of Narberth, said: ‘The old school had fallen into disrepair, it was a disgrace at the gateway to the town.
‘We’ve created something unique, the houses are colourful and will be ideal for over-55s because they can walk into town.’
Most locals and holidaymakers have welcomed the scheme and applauded the businessmen for standing up to wealthy outsiders coming to West Wales to buy property.
Moorfield Court is located in the market town of Narberth in Wales
The gateway development located in the town centre of Narberth
The homes were built behind the site of an old primary school and he building itself was transformed and now operates as Hwb, a food hall with four kitchens and a craft beer bar
Kathryn James, 58, who runs a cafe in the new development, said: ‘No Airbnbs and second homes, that’s fine with me.
‘Young people struggle around here but these places are for over 55s so I don’t know how much of a difference it will make. But we need tourists, definitely.’
Mother-of-three Kathryn Walker, 32, a teaching assistant in Narberth Primary School, said: ‘It’s good that they aren’t going to be holiday homes but I know they aren’t a reasonable price range for first time buyers.
‘But it won’t drive tourists away. It will keep the locals happy and they look very nice.’
Chef Ben Lucas, 35, a £30,000-a-year chef in the Hwb street food centre on the site, said: ‘It’s getting impossible for someone like me to buy your own place.
‘I agree with the housing scheme here – tourists are welcome but local people should come first.’
Pictured is the sleepy Welsh market town when MailOnline paid a visit to talk to locals
Kathryn Walker, a mother-of-three, said the houses look nice but won’t stop tourists
Holidaymaker Ceryse Fear, 69, a retired social enterprise charity worker, from Ealing, London, said: ‘I absolutely support it – I’m from England but I think it’s outrageous that English people are buying houses here.
‘It’s scandalous that there isn’t legislation stopping selfish people from away using their wealth to buy up property in Wales.’
Estate agents John Francis, who are holding an open day for would-be buyers on Saturday, say there has been a lot of interest.
Ali Palmer, the agency’s senior negotiator, said: ‘Two local businessmen have regenerated an historic part of the town – I’m a big fan of that.’
North Yorkshire doubles council tax on second homes as locals pushed out of town
In the seaside town of Whitby – where a ruined Gothic abbey inspired Dracula – council bosses have agreed to effectively double council tax bills for second homeowners.
They will be receiving the stinging bills on April 1 next year, because of the rules requiring a 12-month period of notice before the charges are applied.
But locals are sceptical that the council tax hikes will make any difference – and some argue opposing tourism is not the way forward because it is so profitable.
And some said the town is ‘dark and depressing’ in the winter when all of the holidaymakers have gone and most of the houses lie empty.
Locals in Whitby said it is ‘dark and depressing’ in the winter when all of the holidaymakers have gone and most of the houses lie empty. Most properties on the waterfront are holiday lets
A view of the water in Whitby, which is mostly lined by AirBnBs and hotels
Local arcade worker Edward Harrison, 31, said it’s ‘virtually impossible’ to buy a house
Dave Smith, 33, said: ‘I can’t complain because if it was not for tourism I wouldn’t be in a job’
Tourists with suitcases could be seen in Whitby this week when MailOnline paid a visit
Arcade worker Edward Harrison, 31, said: ‘The town would not survive without tourism. The winters here are dreadful.
‘But as a local I also know it is virtually impossible to buy a house. It costs well over £200,000 for a two bedroom house that is surrounded by other houses.
‘I am saving currently for a home and it is hard work – very hard. It takes most of your wages and you have no time for a social life so it’s hard.
‘You find yourself working hard but without saving you are never going to get anywhere on the property ladder.
‘I am 32 this year and desperate to get on the property ladder. But you are competing with second home owners and Airbnb businesses which have plenty of money in the bank.
‘Every time there is a house on the market going at a decent price, someone snaps it up for a holiday let or second home.’
Dave Smith, 33, said: ‘I can’t complain because if it was not for tourism I wouldn’t be in a job. The other side of it is that is hard to buy a house. But you cannot buy a house if you haven’t got a job, and there are not a lot of them in Whitby which are not tourist based.
Furious locals accused staycationers of killing the community in Whitby
Dave Clarkson, 59, doesn’t think doubling the council tax for second home owners will work
Local businessman Alex Boyd said people who think the town doesn’t need tourism are ‘stupid’
Whitby is a popular destination for tourists due to the quaint alleys and pretty views
‘So getting rid of second home owners and people staying in Airbnbs would not necessarily ensure you have somewhere to live.’
Dave Clarkson, 59, doesn’t think doubling the council tax for second home owners will work. She said: ‘If you can afford to pay £400,000 for some of the cottages around here you are not going to bothered by a couple of thousand in council tax.
‘It is a shame because a lot of local people can’t afford to move. A couple of long term lets behind me have just become holiday cottages.
‘It so dark and depressing in winter because the people with holiday homes or the Airbnb customers only come once or twice.
‘They are snapping up the old cottages for the price a new-build and all they want to do is rent them out. People used to like coming to summer because it was quiet, not mental like it is now.’
Local businessman Alex Boyd’s family has run the Mister Chips takeaway brand in the seaside town for the past 40 years. He also recently opened a sweet shop by revamping one of the town’s older and unloved buildings.
He said: ‘You do get a lot of the locals who gather in the locals-only pubs to complain about the tourists but most of them work in tourism anyway.
Tourists visit the beautiful Whitby Abbey, which inspired Dracula
Locals are sceptical that the council tax hikes will make any difference – and some argue opposing tourism is not the way forward because it is so profitable
Steve Warriner, 52, who has been running the Harbour Grill for four years, said he wouldn’t have a job if tourists stopped visiting the town
Tourists cross the road in Whitby as they go to their holiday accommodation
‘Businesses need tourism to survive. So people who think Whitby doesn’t need tourists are just stupid.
‘Houses are expensive here – but they are expensive because Whitby is a nice place, not just because of holiday lets and second home buyers.
‘If someone is coming to town with £300,000 to buy a house to rent out or as a second home at the end of the day they have the money to do it and I don’t see how you can stop them.’
Steve Warriner, 52, who has been running the Harbour Grill for four years, said: ‘Second home owners are bringing wealth into the town, Without them I wouldn’t have a job.
‘A lot of young people in Whitby are short of affordable homes. I don’t think there should be restrictions.
‘These people are bringing business into the town. But if I was 22 with a young family looking for home I would not be thinking how massive tourism is for the tea rooms.’
Villagers in Devon campaign for more affordable homes
Families living in popular seaside resorts say they are being forced into hardship and living in caravans, holiday chalets and even boats following a dramatic surge in Airbnbs and holiday lets.
Faced with shocking rises in short-term lets, locals on the North Devon coast are banding together to organise Community Land Trusts (CLT) which enable them to build affordable homes but said more help is needed and called for councils to limit the number of holiday homes.
Emma Hookway, founded the North Devon and Torridge Housing Crisis campaign group after she and her young son were forced to leave their rented house in 2021.
Emma, 44, from Braunton, said: ‘I explained the situation to my son that after Covid lots of people had moved to the area and lots of people wanted to come on holiday then after he walked away I just burst into tears.
Residents in popular seaside resorts in Devon are being forced into hardship and living in caravans and boats due a surge in short-term lettings
Emma Hookway, from Braunton, said she burst into tears after telling her son that they had to leave their rented house in 2021
Pictured: Apartments in Woolacombe, where figures show around half of houses in the area are second homes
‘It’s completely changed the dynamics of renting in North Devon. We started looking for a property but just couldn’t find anywhere. I wasn’t even getting a look-in on places that were coming up. Landlords are asking you to prove earnings of £33,000, an average joe on minimum wage can’t do that.
‘Explaining it was the first time it really dawned on me. I felt like I’d failed as a parent. It’s horrible to have your home whipped away from underneath your feet.’
She said: ‘There’s absolutely a hidden crisis here. We’ve had people on the page talking about suicide because they can’t find anywhere to live.
‘One of the key things that worries me is children’s mental health, children having to study for GCSEs when they are all crammed in one room or can’t have friends over because the temporary accommodation doesn’t allow guests.’
She called for affordable house-building to be dramatically increased to meet demand and new holiday homes to require licences.
In the centre of Woolacombe, a coastal resort since the Victorian era, it was once dominated by grand hotels and villas but in recent years modern blocks of flats have risen up in the town. Figures show around half of houses in the area are second homes.
Coastal town Woolacombe was once dominated by grand hotels and villas
But these have since made way for several tall blocks of flats in the resort
A sign showing a hotel acquired to be redeveloped into 56 apartments, eight houses and commercial units
Lifelong resident and Londis manager Steve Woodman said that despite having a swelling population, the town had seen a marked reduction in local amenities
Residents have launched an initiative to provide more affordable homes for families who have lived in the area for at least five years
A two bed flat boasting a sea view goes for almost £1,500 per week while a one-bed flat in a modern block goes for £139 per night.
And there are more on the way. In a prominent spot overlooking the village sits the now derelict Royal Hotel which is set to be demolished to build 56 flats and eight houses.
Steve Woodman, a lifelong Woolacombe resident, has run the Londis newsagent for the past 25-years.
He is leading a local initiative to provide 21 new affordable homes for families who have lived in and around Woolacombe for at least five years.
He told MailOnline: ‘Woolacombe has just got busier and busier but you can very clearly see how things have changed. There used to be four banks, now there are none. We are now the only convenience shop.
‘Some people are angry at the rise in Airbnbs and I see where they are coming from but tourism is also vital to the area.
‘The village needs a year-round economy and we hope these 21 houses will give local people a foothold in the community.’
At the Woolacombe Surf Centre, manager Zoe Powell, 38, emphasised the village wasn’t in any way against tourists visiting but said the current situation had made it impossible for her family to live there.
She said: ‘We were renting a small flat in the village with my two children – it was far too small for us all.
‘When we were able to get a mortgage we looked in Woolacombe but there was nothing we could afford so we ended up buying in Ilfracombe.
‘I think there is a frustration with the situation and I know a lot of the Airbnbs are left empty because the prices are so high.
Pictured: The land in this field has been earmarked for the development of homes for local people
Woolacombe Surf Centre manager Zoe Powell said the rise in Airbnb-style lets had made it impossible for her family to live in the town
Cas Lay, 20, who is standing for the Green Party at the election, said that young people were being forced to live with parents due to the lack of affordable homes
‘Some of them need to go back to being staff accommodation or affordable housing for first time buyers.
‘In Cornwall they are taking steps to make it harder for second homes, the last thing we want to do is lose tourists but we need to make sure we have places to live too.’
Cas Lay, 20, grew up in the area and works in a seasonal job at nearby Saunton, he is now standing for the Green Party at next month’s election.
He said: ‘I can’t see any other future down here other than being in a car in my dad’s driveway. That’s the only thing that’s viable, not being able to rent anywhere down here.
‘I don’t think I could tell you one person my age who owns a home down here, most live with their parents. I have friends who have gone to Australia because they don’t see any future here.’
In nearby Croyde, local residents say the village has changed beyond all recognition in recent years.
Anne Bright who has lived in the village for 12 years said: ‘It’s just so different, it used to be a little old surfing village with people turning up in VW campers.
‘Now it’s everybody arriving from London in BMWs and Range Rovers and having huge great houses by the sea.
‘Most of the new places are built by commercial developers who sell them as holiday homes or investments to turn into Airbnbs.
‘The most affected people are the younger generation who can’t afford to buy anything in the area. They either have to move away or wait to inherit from their parents. There’s just no way for them to stay here.’
Villagers in Croyde (pictured) say the community has changed beyond recognition in recent years
A picture of Croyde, north Devon. Landlords say red tape involved with longer tenancies is leaving them no choice but to turn to holiday lets
However, local landlords say they are turning to holiday lets because of the bureaucracy involved with longer tenancies.
Paul Watts, who has let out an annexe to his home to holidaymakers since 2009, said: ‘There is absolutely no incentive for us to let out on a residential basis due to the changes already made, let alone the potential to prevent landlords selling their property at the end of a tenancy agreement.
‘So many residential landlords are turning to holiday lets as a result and swamping the market.
‘The rental market is a dreadful place to find yourself in as a tenant these days. Successive governments have failed the UK rental market since Right to Buy was introduced and sold off most of the council housing, with no replacement strategy.’
More Airbnbs than permanent homes in Kent
Locals in east Kent tourist hotspot Margate are divided on whether similar measures to stem the influx of outsiders are needed in the town.
The thriving town has seen an artsy regeneration in the last 10 years – with scores of young people trading sky-high London rents for the seaside. But it has 443 Airbnbs compared to just 44 places to permanently live.
While business owners said that without the tourist industry, the ‘town will die,’ other residents said that people who have lived there all their lives can’t afford to stay and agree more needs to be done.
Emily Henson, and her friend Hesta Vanoverbeek, both 48, think more controls are needed
Locals in east Kent tourist hotspot Margate are divided on whether similar measures to stem the influx of outsiders are needed in the town
Set designer Emily Henson, 48, was a Margate resident in the 1980s as a child before moving out in 1992. Despite saying she never saw herself coming back, she returned six years ago.
She said: ‘It’s so seasonal. If you’ve got places that are purpose-built or just as holiday rentals then for a huge part of the year they’re going to be sitting empty.’
Her friend Hesta Vanoverbeek, also 48, has lived across the idyllic Kent seaside for over a decade and now resides in Margate with her dog Kermit.
She said: ‘I think there’s some countries they have rules where you’re only allowed to rent out your houses for a certain amount of time here.
‘You need something so that you don’t have purpose-built second homes and Airbnbs, because otherwise you end up with towns in Cornwall and Devon that are empty during the week.’
But Margate-born Steve Riley, 59, disagreed – saying tourist money has revitalised the town and that is partly down to Airbnbs. He said: ‘You will have people coming in off the trains with a wheelie bags going into Airbnbs and they bring money into the town. There are not enough hotels.
But Margate-born Steve Riley, 59, disagreed – saying tourist money has revitalised the town and and that iss partly down to Airbnbs
However NHS nurse Lesley McAteer, 59, welcomed the idea of controls to help young people buy established properties rather than having to buy new-builds
‘You need people to spend the money otherwise the town will die. I am really against any controls on them.’
However NHS nurse Lesley McAteer, 59, welcomed the idea of controls to help young people buy established properties rather than having to buy new-builds.
She said that a move against holiday lets could help people to get on the property ladder without what she sees as overdevelopment in Thanet.
The health worker said: ‘Young people can’t buy a property because there’s limited properties in Margate.
‘I wouldn’t probably mind if people bought a second property and came down every weekend but the properties are empty a lot of the time.
‘And that means youngsters can’t get in the property market. Because there’s no properties around to buy.’
The thriving town has seen an artsy regeneration in the last 10 years – with scores of young people trading sky-high London rents for the seaside
Chip shop proprietor Peter Curtis, 53, said controls on Airbnbs ‘wouldn’t be good’ for him
However, business owners in the tourist hotspot said they loved the influx of holiday lets because of the money they bring in.
Chip shop proprietor Peter Curtis, 53, agreed. He runs the family business, Peter’s Fish & Chip Factory, following on from his father. He said: ‘Controls like that on Airbnbs wouldn’t be good for us.
‘The beauty of Airbnb is tourists come down in all weathers. So people are in London seeing it is an unexpectedly sunny day and they come down, but they also still come if it is rainy.
‘It’s a good thing. Why would they try and change it?’
