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Ahead of this summer’s anticipated FIFA World Cup games in Miami, Airbnb is launching what it calls its biggest host incentive ever.
The short- and long-term accommodations company, one of several official sponsors for the World Cup, has announced it will offer $750 for new hosts who register their properties for the event between now and July 31. The offer is available only to property owners in the 16 cities in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico that are hosting matches this summer, including Miami.
It wasn’t immediately clear how far outside Miami Gardens — where the matches will take place at Hard Rock Stadium — the incentive will apply. New Times reached out to Airbnb for clarification, but we did not receive an answer by press time. Still, the event is expected to be an economic boon to South Florida as a whole.
“Demand for World Cup stays on Airbnb is surging, giving residents of host cities the opportunity to boost their incomes by sharing their homes and the communities they love,” Airbnb’s chief business officer, Dave Stephenson, said in a statement announcing the incentive.
According to the company, Airbnb Miami hosts could earn an average of $5,000 during the 39-day tournament (the longest in World Cup history, thanks to a new expanded field of national teams).
Airbnb graphic
According to Reuters, the World Cup is expected to draw between 1 and 6 million visitors to the U.S., so the opportunity to attract Airbnb guests is obvious. Demand for accommodation is surging — the company says searches for stays in host cities are rising by an average of 80 percent compared to this time last year.
According to a Focaldata survey used by Airbnb to gauge interest in potential hosts, about 64 percent of respondents say they’d consider renting out space in their homes for the tournament, with 49 percent saying earning extra money would be the main motivation for hosting. Nearly 90 percent say the extra money would have a significant or moderate positive effect on their financial situation, 40 percent say they’d use the income to help clear debts, and 52 percent say they’d be excited to share local hidden gems.
South Florida is set to host seven games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens during the tournament, with matches scheduled from June 15 in the group stage through July 18, when the city hosts the bronze-medal match ahead of the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Among the teams set to play in South Florida are soccer titans Uruguay (the first-ever winners of the FIFA World Cup back in 1930), Brazil (the winningest team in FIFA World Cup history with five), and Portugal (led by one of the best-ever players in soccer history, Cristiano Ronaldo).
