The Family Travel Revolution: Airbnb’s Push For More Family Friendly Tourism In Europe

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Amid surging family recreation crossed Europe, Airbnb has unveiled caller information which highlights wherever families are travelling, some domestically and internationally successful nan region. The caller findings uncover each this against a backdrop wherever nan European Commission is seeking feedback from nan nationalist connected sustainable tourism. These practices bespeak a broader translator successful really families travel, arsenic increasing numbers opt to get distant from crowded cities and caput for quieter sites successful nan countryside.

In 2024, astir 60 percent of impermanent nights connected Airbnb were booked successful non-urban destinations, pinch group favoring rural, seaside, and upland destinations complete nan agleam lights of nan city. The numbers underscore that families are progressively turning to Airbnb for nan space, privacy, and system that accepted hotels cannot provide, peculiarly for travelers pinch children. That displacement is peculiarly pronounced successful agrarian Europe, wherever Airbnb bookings from families person jumped much than 200 percent successful nan 5 years from 2019 to 2024.

Airbnb’s Family-Friendly Travel Market Continues to Expand

As families activity much laid-back and affordable travel, Airbnb is 1 of nan apical options. Over 80% of homes connected Airbnb successful Europe are now branded arsenic family-friendly, offering nan amenities families request erstwhile distant from home. Usually pinch respective bedrooms, a backstage garden, and accommodation to guarantee children are happy and secure.

Characteristics of family-friendly houses:

Space: More than 85% of family-friendly homes connected Airbnb person astatine slightest 2 bedrooms, and complete 65% connection outdoor spaces specified arsenic gardens and backyards.

Amenities: High chairs are disposable successful much than 50 percent of listings, cribs successful 55 percent, and free parking successful 70 percent. In addition, 80% person a washing machine, and 30% person committee games for children.

Cost: On average, families prevention astir 30% connected their enactment and only 10% for 7 nights aliases more, compared to edifice bookings. This makes Airbnb ace appealing to ample families connected nan hunt for cheaper recreation alternatives.

This move towards family-focused accommodation demonstrates nan changing look of nan recreation industry. Airbnb has managed to go nan marketplace leader successful providing family accommodations erstwhile nan family needs a spot much flexibility, space, and comfort, and for places not correct successful nan heavy of touristy crowds.

The Disappointments of City Stays for Families

“A batch of families are facing time, distance, and disbursal challenges to beryllium here,” explained Varen Nordberg, who says contempt nan surge of Airbnb’s successful nan countryside, nan problem is yet to beryllium afloat addressed head-on. Nearly 50% of households successful six European countries person already ditched nan thought of heading to ample cities because they can’t find wherever to stay, according to a Verian survey. Among nan astir important reasons that metropolis stays are particularly difficult, families say, are a fewer cardinal issues:

Unfriendly accommodation for families: 47% of nan respondents cited nan rumor of uncovering family-friendly accommodation.

Expensive: 67 percent of families said it was excessively costly to enactment successful cities, pinch nan costs of a edifice room being a obstruction for families pinch much people.

Amenity shortage: 42% of families said that cities did not person capable things to do, aliases elsewhere to play, for children.

Decreasing Spaces Segregated Kids Spaces: 54% of families consciousness that cities are becoming little child-friendly, causing them to interest that their children will bask nan acquisition offered.

Fear of disturbing different guests: 27% of parents consciousness that their room being adjacent to different guests successful a edifice would origin their children to consciousness anxious aliases frightened astir keeping different guests awake.

These issues are exacerbated by limitations connected short-term rentals successful municipality centers. In Amsterdam, for example, erstwhile nan metropolis placed limitations connected Airbnb, short-term rental proviso decreased by 54% and edifice prices went up by 50%. Barcelona, for example, knowledgeable a 24% alteration successful short-term rentals, and edifice prices accrued by 35%. That’s why for galore families, metropolis vacations person go little and little affordable.

The Impact connected Families of Such Restrictions

City restrictions connected short-term rentals are pricing families retired of places they erstwhile considered, forcing them to re-evaluate their recreation plans aliases to enactment successful much costly hotels. Airbnb has raised fears that restrictions are producing a business wherever only wealthier visitors are capable to salary to sojourn ample cities, astatine nan disbursal of families pinch children. The deficiency of affordable, family-friendly accommodation options has had an effect connected nan inclination of families looking for places to sojourn elsewhere.

Airbnb’s EMEA Public Policy Director, Juliette Langlais, highlighted nan platform’s dedication to offering affordable, family-friendly options during a play of heightened demand: “Airbnb is nan first accommodation prime for families searching affordable, spacious, private, and amenity-rich stays, peculiarly successful agrarian communities. “If families are priced out, past they can’t return dream vacations to these cities, and since they can’t spend aggregate rooms and don’t want to beryllium separated successful a hotel, they can’t visit,” Haley said.

The Need for Family-Friendly Policies

With family recreation connected nan rise, policymakers should reconsider what it would return to make a spot family-friendly successful nan first place. Karoline Iwersen of nan European Large Families Confederation said, “Travel is progressively difficult for families, and families pinch galore children especially, owed to a deficiency of some suitable and affordable accommodation, specified arsenic successful ample cities successful celebrated tourer destinations. A genuinely family-friendly nine is 1 wherever families tin beryllium seen, recognised, and study from nan world alongside each other.”

The urgency of family-friendly policies successful cities has ne'er been greater. Airbnb is pushing for argumentation betterment that enables each family to entree municipality and agrarian destinations, without immoderate economical aliases logistical barriers opinionated successful their way. As Airbnb remains an affordable, elastic hospitality action for families, cities must reside these roadblocks to support their doors unfastened to each travelers, including families.

Conclusion: A More Family-Friendly Tourism arsenic a Cry of Hope

At a clip erstwhile nan inclination of family recreation has grown and much and much families want to recreation without “breaking nan bank,” nan request for family-friendly accommodation has ne'er been higher. Airbnb’s information underscore nan expanding request for cheaper and roomier accommodations, particularly successful agrarian and suburban areas. But nan problem, of course, is that nan mostly of awesome cities are yet to germinate from nan places that make it astatine each imaginable for families to besides acquisition nan magic of municipality travel, without either being priced retired aliases ending up successful immoderate ridiculous, kid-disconnected edifice room.