A platform for short-term rentals reported a 1,000% bump in searches for properties in the path of the upcoming solar eclipse.
Eclipse hunters are creating a surge in demand for lodgings offering the best views of April 8’s once-in-a-lifetime event. Airbnb reported a considerable uptick not only in searches along the path of the Great American Eclipse, as it has been dubbed, but also in first-time hosts — over a thousand — looking to benefit from the buzz.
“What we’re seeing with the eclipse is that there’s so many new hosts that are onboarding onto the platform, and they’re welcoming their first guests ever over the April 8 weekend,” Haven Thorn, a communication manager for Airbnb, told The Dallas Morning News. “I think these are people who are recognizing the economic opportunity.”
While the Austin area, Indianapolis, and Cleveland have seen the most bookings on the platform, Dallas is not far behind. For instance, one Dallas five-bedroom house owned by Megan Tully, a manager for Los Angeles-based Creators Capital, usually rents it out on the platform for $888 a night, but that rate has already increased around the time of the eclipse.
“I always want to be reasonable, but it’s going to be busier and there’s going to be more demand,” Tully told the DMN. “So my rate for that time near the eclipse is already higher. We’re experimenting with rates going up to $1,000 a night. To me, it seems like people are willing to pay.”
The Lone Star State is expected to have some of the longest durations of totality — an awe-inspiring span of time when the Moon will completely block out the Sun. Not only will it be the only moment when the Sun’s outer atmosphere — the corona — will be visible, but the other stars and planets in the sky will be more visible.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, the city of Ennis — located just south of Dallas — is expected to draw in thousands of visitors due to it having a totality of 4 minutes and 23 seconds. This beats out its neighboring cities, including Dallas, which will have totality for 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
A number of establishments in Dallas are nonetheless revving up for the event with eclipse-watching parties and more already planned. For instance, an entire Solar Eclipse Weekend in Downtown Dallas will offer plenty of free entertainment, ranging from live music to art installations.