45,000 MWC attendees to use Airbnb

More than 45,000 Mobile World Congress (MWC) attendees will be staying in Airbnb accommodation for the duration of the event, paying a total of more than five million euros between them. According to a calculation published by Airbnb, those who use the plaform will also spend around 40 million euros whilst in Barcelona.

The figures forecast a new record for the number of MWC participants using the accommodation platform during the event, surpassing last year’s total of 40,000, which made an economic impact on the city of 28 million euros, according to Airbnb.

The average price for one night during the MWC will be 66 euros. 97 cents of every euro goes to the host. Organizers of the congress that this year the number of participants will be around 110,000 people.

Full house

The president of the Barcelona Association of Tourist Apartments (APARTUR), Enrique Alcántara, recently explained to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that they foresee all holiday flats in the city being booked up.

"We believe that the tourist apartments of the city of Barcelona will be 100% occupied during the week of the Mobile World Congress," Alcántara said.