Airbnb is offering a £50 travel voucher to any Liverpool household hosting their first Airbnb guest in a private room in the city between May 9 and May 13.

The short lets platform says international interest in the city has skyrocketed as it looks forward to welcoming thousands of Eurovision Song Contest fans from across the globe next week.

New data from Airbnb shows a significant increase in searches on the platform for Liverpool since the city was announced as host of the contest in place of Ukraine. Between October and December last year, searches for Liverpool were more than 20 times higher than they were for the same period the year before.

And on October 7 2022, the day that Liverpool was announced as host, searches for Liverpool on Airbnb were the highest they have ever been. Liverpool was the 14th most searched city in the world on that day, beating out cities like Miami, Berlin, Tokyo and Mexico City. 

Tourism minister Julia Lopez says: “The competition will see thousands flock to the city for a celebration of Ukrainian culture as we are united in music. It’s great to see so many people from across the globe are interested in coming to the city and that so many Liverpudlians are going to open their doors to welcome them.”

And Amanda Cupples, general manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, adds: “As Liverpool gets ready to welcome one of the world’s most iconic music events, it is fantastic to see such increased interest in the city from guests all over the world. Liverpool is an incredible city, with so much culture, history and character to offer. 

“We are proud to work with cities hosting major events, helping them to show off their unique local areas to the world, and enabling communities and families to benefit from incoming guests keen to experience local hospitality.”

Last month Airbnb offered a £100 travel coupon to new hosts welcoming their first Airbnb guest during the King’s Coronation in London this weekend. 

The bonus scheme for new hosts encourages locals in London to make the most of the increased demand for holiday accommodation by hosting on Airbnb, generating additional revenue for themselves and their local community. 

The government’s Tourism Recovery Plan identifies ‘special moments’ as major boosts for the UK travel sector.

Last year, Airbnb launched a similar bonus incentive for new hosts welcoming their first Airbnb guest during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. The government says that scheme increased accommodation capacity for the event and benefited the local community.