JOURNAL OF TRAVEL RESEARCH

Welcome to my home! An empirical analysis of Airbnb supply in U.S. cities

Yang, Yang; Mao, Zhenxing (Eddie)

Abstract

We propose a conceptual framework to investigate factors influencing the supply of Airbnb units in US urban communities. Based on a sample of Airbnb supply data from 1068 zip codes in 28 major US cities, we apply a mixed-effects negative binomial model to uncover supply determinants. The results confirm the significance of five supply determinant categories, namely, hotel market demand and supply, housing market demand and supply, and short-term rental regulation. We also highlight the respective impacts of supply determinants on three different Airbnb units: entire houses, private rooms, and shared rooms. Moreover, we examine the unique effects of different types of regulation policies. In general, regulations related to tailored legal framework and hostile enforcement significantly decrease Airbnb unit supply.

Keywords

Airbnb supply; home-sharing regulation; hotel market; housing market; mixed-effects negative binomial model

Research topic

Tourist Flows and Location, Digital Platform and Pricing

Research method

Econometrics

Geographic area

US

Additional links for this paper

ResearchGate

Publisher Website

Web of Science

HOW TO CITE

Yang, Y. and Mao, E. (2019). Welcome to my home! An empirical analysis of Airbnb supply in U.S. cities. Journal of Travel Research, 58(8), 1274-1287.

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