With the major football tournament in Russia dominating conversations around the globe, Airbnb has reported a huge increase in guests from the Middle East staying in Airbnb listed properties in Russia during the tournament.

An estimated 3,000 football fans from the Middle East have packed in to a home booked on the Airbnb platform across Russia during the tournament

According to Airbnb, the surge of visitors are coming from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with 40 times as many guests travelling from Saudi Arabia to Russia during the period (June 14 – July 15) compared to the same period in 2017.

The number of UAE visitors staying in Russian properties listed on Airbnb has jumped by almost 850 per cent compared to last year.

An estimated total of 177,000 international guests will be staying in a home booked on Airbnb in Russia during the tournament, Airbnb said.

The pricepoint per reservation averages 203 AED per guest per night, with guests staying three to four nights per reservation on average when in Russia.

This follows Airbnb’s success at previous major sports tournaments, including the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang where 15,000 guests arrived to stay at Airbnb locations in Gangwon Province and the 2016 Rio Olympics where there were over 55,000 guest arrivals with Airbnb. - TradeArabia News Service