“The typical South African Airbnb host who occasionally shares space in their home boosts their yearly income by more than R28,000.” That’s among the boats made in the “first data release on the Airbnb community here” issued on Thursday.It said the 134,000 guests who have stayed “in a listing on Airbnb in South Africa in the last year alone…represents a 250% increase in travellers on Airbnb compared to 2014”.Other data released for 2015 included:- “Hosts and guests on Airbnb are older than one might think with the average host being 44 years old and guests being 37”;- “There were 7500 active hosts in South Africa and almost half were freelancers‚ entrepreneurs‚ or self-employed” while “66 % of hosts share space in their primary residence”;- “99 000 South African residents used Airbnb for their travels”;- “Airbnb guests stay an average of six nights”;- “More than 40% of guest spending takes place in the neighbourhood where they stay”; and- “58% of Airbnb guests visited local businesses based on host recommendations”.Airbnb’s Nicola D’Elia said it “is good news for everyone‚ providing an economic boost for thousands of South Africans‚ helping them make ends meet and support their families by hosting on Airbnb”.It got the nod from Tim Harris‚ the CEO at Wesgro‚ the tourism‚ trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.He said: “Thanks to Airbnb‚ more travellers can enjoy the natural beauty our country has to offer in an authentic way."It’s great to see that outside Cape Town‚ Knysna is the second most popular town with the Airbnb community. This shows how Airbnb hosts are helping to drive visitors across the province‚ allowing them to experience more of the Western Cape with their local hosts. " - TMG Digital ..