Kilkenny is a top destination for Airbnb visitors

By COLIN BARTLEY

KILKENNY has come fifth in a new list of top destinations for Airbnb guests in Ireland.

Rental website Airbnb this week unveiled their list of the most popular destinations for visitors outside Ireland’s main urban hubs in 2018.

The high ranking will come as another boost to Kilkenny’s tourism sector. The Marble city only trailed the tourism hotspots of Kerry – Killarney, Dingle, and Tralee – and Westport in Co Mayo.

Airbnb also revealed that its operation contributed a massive €700 million to the Irish economy last year, with almost 1.8 million visitors to these shores using the rental website.

It estimated visitors using its site spent €537m during their time in Ireland, the majority of visitors coming from the US – followed by Britain, France, and Germany.

Jean Hoey, Airbnb’s public policy lead for Ireland, said: “Airbnb has transformed the way people travel, helping visitors to stay and explore in Ireland beyond the traditional destinations and hotspots.

“Our community of hosts and guests is helping to spread the benefits of domestic and overseas tourism and putting money in the pockets of local families, businesses and communities.”

Ms Hoey also expressed concerned about new short-term letting rules that came into effect in Ireland this week.

The new regulations mean planning permission will be required for the short-term letting of properties that are not the landlord’s principal private residence.

Ms Hoey claimed this could have an adverse effect on visitors’ experiences, and that hosts may not have had enough time to understand the changes.

“With new regulations coming into effect… we are continuing to work with our host community to help them understand and comply with the new rules,” she added.

“We remain concerned that hosts have not had sufficient information and time to adapt, and that visitors to Ireland may be negatively impacted.”