Oct 12, 2021 - Economy

Airbnb: Hosting will be as big as the creator economy

Hope King

graphic of gold colored keys on key ring made from the female gender symbol. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Airbnb global head of hosting Catherine Powell says the "hosting economy" will include as many people as the creator economy does.

The big picture: The creator economy — businesses built by independent content creators — is currently made up of more than 50 million people, according to SignalFire, a venture capital firm.

The home rental industry is just a fraction of that: Airbnb currently has 5.6 million listings on its platform globally (including experiences), VRBO has 2 million homes, FlipKey has 830,000 properties and Homestay has 63,000 rooms.

What they're saying: “There is definitely a cause and effect of people who were impacted by the pandemic turning to hosting," particularly women, Powell told Axios on the sidelines of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit.

Hosts who self-identify as women make up 55% of the platform, 44% of whom say income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes.

Be smart: Women are turning more to gig work as the pandemic impacted them disproportionately.

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Airbnb: Hosting will be as big as the creator economy

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