Shropshire among the top Airbnb destinations in the UK
Shropshire has been named one of the most lucrative places in the UK to be an Airbnb host, according to research by the holiday rental company.
The new data by Airbnb has suggested that the county saw one of the highest growths in host earnings last year – taking the sixth spot, behind County Tyrone.
The average Airbnb host in Shropshire earned around £6,200 last year, which represents approximately two months of pay for the median UK household according to national statistics.
Rachel and Shaun Greetham, from Ludlow, have been Airbnb hosts since early 2018 and since then have been very fortunate to have such success inviting tourists to stay from all over.
The couple own Charlie's Cottage, a seventeenth century holiday cottage in Ludlow, and have used Airbnb both as hosts but also when booking some time away for themselves.
Commenting on the location of their Airbnb, the couple said: "Ludlow is a small but thriving, pretty medieval market town situated on the edge of the Shropshire Hills – an area of outstanding natural beauty.
"We have a stunning 11th century castle, a plethora of interesting independent shops, as well as being known as the gastronomic capital of Shropshire, so as you can imagine, Ludlow is an extremely popular tourist destination."
Reflecting on the last couple of years, they added: "We faced the same challenges and uncertainties as everyone else during the pandemic, but since restrictions were lifted we found guests were wanting to holiday for longer in the UK.
"And we have found no negative impact now the borders are back open. Shropshire tourism is still booming.
"People are re-discovering the UK and falling in love with it again. The last couple of years have made everyone appreciate what we have on our own doorstep and to make the most of it."
The cottage is particularly popular with guests already from the UK, as well as Australians and Europeans who want the chance to experience living in a typical English cottage that is more than 350 years old.
Mark Hooper, project lead at Visit Shropshire, the official tourism website for the county, said: "Over the past two years Shropshire has seen a huge increase in tourism numbers.
"A recent quote stated that Shropshire has seen the second highest increase in occupancy in Great Britain, with a 211 per cent increase in occupancy rates during 2021 compared with 2019 rates.
"We look forward to another busy summer season ahead, working with hundreds of Shropshire's tourism businesses and our new transport partners WM Trains to continue to grow our visitor economy.
"Businesses who are keen to find out more about getting involved with national promotions are asked to contact Visit Shropshire anytime."
Visit Shropshire is the destination management organisation for the county and has worked in partnership with Visit Britain and promoted Shropshire via radio, TV commercials and national news titles.
With a number of major events set to take place this year, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Commonwealth Games, and Women's Euro 2022, it appears the UK could be set for another bumper year for tourism.
