Malaysian seniors earn over RM5.6m on Airbnb

KUALA LUMPUR: Over 800 seniors in Malaysia aged 60 and above have earned over RM5.6 million through hosting on Airbnb, a community-driven hospitality platform that welcomed over 26,700 guests from around the world in the past year.
Airbnb said in a statement that the additional income that comes with hosting guests on Airbnb can help many seniors cope with the increasing cost of living and health care, as well as letting them stay in their homes by covering housing costs or paying for needed renovations.
"A global survey of Airbnb hosts found that close to half of the senior age group said that hosting has helped them afford to stay in their homes, and 41% say they rely on their Airbnb income to make ends meet."
The senior host cohort is a fast growing group in Malaysia, with a year-on-year growth of 51.37% from 584 senior hosts in September 2017 to 884 senior hosts in September 2018. In addition, senior hosts are also the best-rated hosts in Malaysia with more than 76.30% of reviews of senior hosts receiving five stars.
Globally, senior hosts are the fastest-growing of any age group of hosts on Airbnb, and there are now over 400,000 senior hosts on Airbnb worldwide. In 2017, seniors hosts around the world earned over US$2 billion, hosted over 13.5 million guest arrivals at their listings, and welcomed travellers from over 150 countries.
Senior guests are also the fastest-growing of any age group on Airbnb globally, with the number of seniors who have booked on the platform growing 66% in the past year.
Aside from just being hosts, there has also been an increased growth in senior Malaysian travelers. Across Malaysia, the number of seniors who have booked on Airbnb grew more than 86.84% in the past year from September 2017 to 2018, making them the fastest growing guest age group in the country.
Countries that have seen the highest proportion of over 60s Malaysian guests travelling on Airbnb are Australia, UK, Japan, New Zealand, US, Thailand, Italy, Taiwan, Korea and Indonesia. Some of the trending destinations in Malaysia include Johor Baru, Ipoh, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur.