Milwaukee ranked as Airbnb’s top travel destination

Airbnb has ranked Milwaukee as the number one trending destination spot on its list of top 20 places to visit in 2020.

Following Milwaukee, the top five included the following destinations: Bilbao, Spain; Buriram, Thailand; Sunbury, Victoria, Australia; and Romania. The only other U.S. cities included were Eugene, Ore., ranked seventh, and Cape Canaveral, Fla., ranked twelfth.

According to the October report, the top 20 was “based on internal Airbnb data for bookings made for 2020 as of September 2019 vs. bookings made for 2019 as of September 2018.” The destinations were ranked by the highest growth in bookings between 2018 and 2019 for the subsequent years.

Milwaukee’s year over year increase was a staggering 729%. Compared to Bilbao, Spain, the second destination on the list, Milwaukee’s booking growth was nearly double.

The considerable increase in Airbnb bookings in Milwaukee for the coming year is attributed to the Democratic National Convention, which the city will host at the Fiserv Forum in July. At the convention, the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates will be nominated for the 2020 election. Thousands of delegates and their families and personnel will be downtown for the event. 

The Greater Milwaukee Area has approximately 17,000 hotel rooms, according to Visit Milwaukee. Many hotels in Kenosha, Racine, Madison and as far as Lake Geneva will also be utilized by non-delegate guests. Consequently, Airbnb is a popular alternative for many of the estimated 50,000 guests that will be attending the convention.

With the Democratic National Convention putting Milwaukee on the international map, the city is praised for its history, diversity and optimism as highlighted in the Democratic National Convention’s website. Airbnb commends Milwaukee as having an excellent bar and restaurant scene with “fascinating cultural attractions that include a Calatrava-designed art museum.” The conference and the associated tourism expect to bring an estimated $200 million to the city, creating an enormous economic impact for Milwaukee.