Rental accommodation provider Airbnb wrapped up 2021 by hosting more than 4.5 million people in its properties across the globe on December 31.
From Italy to the US, Peru, the UAE and hundreds of places in between, millions of visitors spent New Year’s Eve in 53,000 Airbnb accommodations in 220 countries.
Brazil, which is famed for its festive celebrations, was the most popular destination for travellers searching for a stay to wind down the year, but people also sought out more remote destinations, often famed for their mountains and snow.
After a year that kept a lot of us inside our own homes because of travel restrictions, isolation requirements and rising Covid-19 cases, people were keen to find somewhere different to ring in the new year.
Farm stays were the most popular unique stays on Airbnb on December 31, with nearly 50,000 guests checking in to a farm or prairie home to welcome 2022.
Tiny houses were also popular, with 30,000 bookings for the minuscule properties. And more than 3,500 guests sought the exact opposite, choosing to spend New Year’s Eve in castles across the world.
Tree houses and yurts were also highly popular choices for 'unique stays' and more than 850 guests booked to bed-down on private islands to truly get away from it all. More than 130 hardy travellers chose to stay in an igloo, for a sub-zero start to the new year.
Airbnb has revealed that this New Year’s Eve was the biggest night for the company since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data is despite the company’s ban on one-night bookings which was introduced to help prevent parties or large gatherings.
The most popular place for stays on New Year's Eve was Praia Grande in Sao Paulo while Malaysia’s Subang Jaya near Kuala Lumpur was the second most popular destination.
Italy’s Piedmont – known for its alpine ski-runs – ranked in third place, while Gerardmer in France and Portugal's Santarem made up the rest of the top five trending destinations.
People also travelled further for the holidays with more than 40 per cent of Airbnb bookings on New Year’s Eve for places located more than 1,000 miles away from guests’ origins.
Despite ongoing travel restrictions around the world, many regions saw a spike in traveller numbers from specific destinations when compared to visitorship on New Year’s Eve 2019.
The US saw a 210 per cent growth in travellers from Turkey, while German travellers to Portugal increased by 190 per cent. Costa Rican tourists flocked to the UK this year, with a 140 per cent increase in traveller numbers from the tropical destination, and people from France were keen to explore Ireland, with Airbnb documenting a 130 per cent rise in the number of French visitors to the Emerald Isle.
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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