TOURISM ECONOMICS

How to better incorporate geographic variation in Airbnb price modeling?

Jiang, Yifei; Zhang, Honglei; Cao, Xianting; Wei, Ge; Yang, Yang

Abstract

Since entering the Chinese market in 2015, Airbnb has become a major player in the Chinese home-sharing arena. This article uses data from 8012 active Airbnb listings in Shanghai and presents three models (linear regression, geographically weighted regression, and random forest) to study the determinants of Airbnb listing prices and incorporate geographic variation in price modeling. Results show that property quality plays a key role in shaping listing prices. Due to Airbnb’s distinctions from traditional lodging in both features and business models, Airbnb pricing determinants differ accordingly. For example, location conditions were found to have a limited impact in regions with established transportation networks. Among the three models, random forest performed best in terms of prediction accuracy. Lastly, practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

airbnb pricing; pricing factors; geographically weighted regression; random forest; Shanghai

Research topic

AI and Big Data, Digital Platform and Pricing

Research method

Econometrics, Big Data

Geographic area

China

Additional links for this paper

ResearchGate

Publisher Website

Web of Science

HOW TO CITE

Jiang, Y., Zhang, H., Cao, X., Wei, G., & Yang, Y. (2023). How to better incorporate geographic variation in Airbnb price modeling?. Tourism Economics, 29(5), 1181-1203.

Additional Reads

2026

Comparative Advantage

Theories and Models in Tourism and Hospitality Research

2026

Customer gratitude and employee work behaviors

TOURISM MANAGEMENT

2026

Together through thick and thin: How does the survival of neighboring restaurants matter?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT